GRAF SEIBERT
Graf and Seibert were instant best friends when they met for the first time after their studies at the Art Academy in Maastricht in 2004. Since then it has been a mutual and deeply felt urge of Graf Seibert to reflect the absurdities in our wealthy western society and translate them into art performances and interventions and now furniture pieces. For this they use an approach of citing archetypes and forms that the industrialized brain understands instinctively, this can be understood as ‘designing’ art, but add irritation as a final ingredient, not with a raised finger but a grin.
Hyper Active Chair steel, 5D-cut wood, coating 55 x 55 x 76 cm, photo: Bartosz Plodovski 7.800 €
Split Personality Dresser coated MDF, coated steel, metal fittings, industrial rollers, 105 x 55 x 80 cm, photo: Bartosz Plodovski, 8.400 €
Borderline Chair steel, 5D-cut wood, coating, 55 x 86 x 76 cm, photo: Bartosz Plodovski, 8.400 €
Hyper Active Chair steel, 5D-cut wood, coating, 55 x 55 x 76 cm, photo: Bartosz Plodovski, 7.800 €
Split Personality Dresser, coated MDF, coated steel, metal fittings, industrial rollers, 105 x 55 x 80 cm, photo: Bartosz Plodovski, 9.000 €
Depressed Lamp, concrete, steel, electrics, 250 x 60 x 160 cm, photo: Bartosz Plodovski, 3.800 €
Anorexic Bed, steel, foam, fabrics, 210 x 40 x 70cm, photo: Bartosz Plodovski, 4.600 €
Split Personality Closet, coated MDF, coated steel, metal fittings, industrial rollers, 55 x 55 x 185 cm, photo: Bartosz Plodovski, 8.400 €
PSYCHO FURNITURE
Despite living in one of the wealthiest and most stable countries in the world, recent studies show a staggering increase of 76% in the diagnosis of mental illnesses over the last 10 years. Almost 40% of high school students in the USA are on Retalin prescritions. More and more members of our performance-oriented society have a difficult time coping with the pressures of having to keep up. In many places mental disorders are still considered a topic that is taboo. Having a mental disorder is viewed with the same stigma as a facial tattoo. More than a few people visibly display their pain through self-inflicted injury. Even though the wounds may heal, the scars remain. These pains are not unfamiliar to both Graf and Seibert, as you can imagine. Imagine walking across the world’s biggest furniture fair: tons of design pieces in endless variations totally overwhelm you. Smartness and prettiness. What would happen if Graf Seibert’s furniture pieces could not withstand the pressure and develop mental problems of their own? Does a depressive lamp give light or does it symbolise the dark side of our meritocratic society? Is an anorexic bed still of some practical use?
