Remember buzz? Remember being excited about going out to see something new, live and in the flesh? The world may not be fully right side up yet, but signs of reemergence are popping up all over. Consider Sized, the ambitious exhibition of design and art set to unfold across a sprawling 15,000-square-foot venue in Los Angeles starting June 15. The brainchild of curator Alexander May, Sized presents a startling, centuries-spanning array of objects and artworks in a former storage facility for Paramount Studios.
“It’s really a meditation on collecting, on how pieces of wildly far-flung pedigrees and periods can live together in ways that are mutually ennobling and energizing,” May explains to AD PRO. The exhibition design—with objects displayed on a sinuous strip of humble steel decking that snakes through the voluminous space—has its own conceptual underpinning. “This kind of steel deck is typically used for performances, so this is my way of giving these extraordinary things their own stage to perform their magic,” May continues.
Chairs by Luka Sabbat face off with a ceramic piece by Keita Matsunaga from the Nonaka-Hill gallery.
Photo: Gry SpaceMany of the 40 collaborators participating in the show are luminaries in the worlds of art and design presenting new work crafted specifically for this exhibition. AD100 talent Pamela Shamshiri and furniture maker John Williams will debut limited-edition seating upholstered in white patent leather. Artist Jordan Wolfson is contributing a unique chair sculpture covered in stickers in the manner of his wall-mounted pieces. Sterling Ruby likewise dreamed up a site-specific installation that bridges his art practice and his fashion brand, S.R. Studio. LA. CA.
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To tease aesthetic connections across broad divides of time and geography, these contemporary creations will be displayed alongside antique treasures such as 19th-century Navajo blankets from Shiprock Santa Fe. Tiwa Select, Alex Tieghi-Walker’s platform for celebrating the intersection of traditional handmade craft and contemporary inspiration, is sponsoring a tea salon and mezcal bar featuring a tent-like installation by Megumi Shauna Arai. Tiwa’s project also includes a limited-edition run of ceramic mezcal copitas developed in concert with Yola Mezcal.
“We’ve really tried to bring in contributions from many different voices, makers, collectors, and communities,” May says of his catholic assortment of collaborators. “After the lockdown, I think people are hungry for something fresh and stimulating. I know I am.” Sized is open by appointment through June 27.