Sitting on the Art

Conventional arts include painting, music, writing, etc., and conventional furniture consists of materialistic pieces that are valued for their functionality. However, a revolutionary view came to light at the beginning of the 20th century, when some sculptors started to express their art through furniture or objects of day-to-day life. This unprecedented approach, while receiving harsh criticism at the beginning, persisted afterward. More and more artists started to use this new form of art.

Although a common view was that furniture is valued for its functionality, people began to view some pieces of furniture as artworks. Debate arose about whether these pieces were furniture or simple sculptures — they sometimes held both functional and artistic values. But the practice continued and then came a new concept of building furniture whose artistic value could not be understood until it was used, lain on, or sat on.

Some furniture manufacturers in Brazil even made their products in such a way that they depicted political mentality and critical thinking. Sometimes not so useful in functionality, some unique products and pieces were highly praised for their representation of the human mind, culture, and lifestyle.

The popularity reached the next level after the general use of social media when a single art piece made with special design and care could be available not only to its original owner but also to every single person viewing its photograph via the internet. Although it is often hard, even for professionals, to categorize any such piece as an artwork or as a functional object like furniture, the ambiguity of that piece is what makes it successful and admired.

This summary is based on Emma Crichton Miller’s essay “Sitting on the Art” (Aeon), which explores the blurred boundaries between functional furniture and artistic expression in contemporary design. Main essay link: https://aeon.co/essays/furniture-can-be-a-ripely-ambiguous-artform-of-its-own