SOFA is the sculpture objects functional art and design show that took place in November at Chicago’s Navy Pier. At this year’s event, Editorial Correspondent Elaine Markoutsas discovered that pattern favored strong geometry and graphics more than any other direction. Elizabeth Anastos, a 23-year-old art consultant and blogger who attended SOFA, noted strength in linear compositions, and was especially struck by similarities across media.
Case in point: Jim Rose‘s cabinet with positive/negative boxes painted on found steel for Ann Nathan Gallery. Janet Sherman‘s Seven Sevens, an expanse of colorful cubes, was made of folded paper, paint and resin (Ai Bo Gallery). Elizabett Gudmann’s industrial like “tapestry,” made from acid etched copper and chemical patinas created strong mini blocks of vertical patterns (Contemporary Gallery). A horizontal twin: Ulla-Maija Vikman’s composition of viscose on linen (Flow Gallery).
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- Jim Rose
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- Janet Sherman
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- Elizabett Gudmann
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- Ulla-Maija Vikman
Overlay and underlays, an idea that is already gaining ground in wall coverings and textiles due to digital printing, also found expression in unique artisan applications. Among the best: the simple tilted vessels of Lara Scobie (Craft Scotland) and Kevin Gordon‘s Secret Garden hand-blown glass object, with cased color (Kirra Galleries). Nancy Youdelman showed how mixed media can be used to tell a layered story. For more about trends at SOFA, read the December issue of The Trend Curve.
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- Lara Scobie
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- Kevin Gordon
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- Nancy Youdelman