Virgil Abloh x Vitra installation. Photography: Julien Lanoo
Man of the moment Virgil Abloh has made a foray into furniture design, in collaboration with Vitra.
The installation TWENTYTHIRTYFIVE launches this week at Art Basel in the Zaha Hadid-designed Firehouse on the Vitra Campus just outside the city.
Virgil Abloh x Vitra, ‘Petite Potence’, ‘Antony Chair’ and ‘Ceramic Block’. Photography: Joshua Osborne
Virgil Abloh x Vitra, ‘Petite Potence’ 1942, Jean Prouvé. Photography: Joshua Osborne
Virgil Abloh x Vitra ‘Ceramic Block’ 2019. Photography” Joshua Osborne
Virgil Abloh x Vitra installation. Photography: Julien Lanoo
Virgil Abloh x Vitra, ‘Antony Chair’ 1950, Jean Prouvé. Photography: Joshua Osborne
‘To me, design has the inherent idea of being a bridge from the past, with an eye to the future’, says Abloh. His installation takes on the temporal theme with two sections: Past/Present is inspired by the contemporary influences of a 2019 teenager, while Future imagines the creative impact these influences will have on their taste, work and style in 2035. It includes furniture even though, as Abloh posits, ‘it’s arguable whether we will even have a need for furniture by 2035.’
As part of the exhibit, the designer has reimagined two classic Jean Prouvé pieces – the Petite Potence lamp and the Antony armchair – as well as creating a unique numbered Ceramic Block, all in a vibrant orange lacquer finish. The three designs are available to buy in limited edition runs of 999 for the block, 300 for the lamp and 100 for the chair.
TWENTYTHIRTYFIVE runs until 31 July in Basel, before moving to the new Vitra showroom in New York in the autumn.
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