Stool (Solid Color - Purple)
Christopher Chiappa
Christopher Chiappa
2010
resin-covered Styrofoam core; hand-painted or dipped in oil-based enamel, plastic feet
unique studio works
presented in collaboration with Kate Werble Gallery, New York
These stools were developed in 2003 through explorations artist Christopher Chiappa was doing at the time replicating a mid-century modern coffee table in resin-coated styrofoam. Unhappy with the lack of volume of the coffee table he was attempting to sculpt – a flat-topped table with thin legs – he carved a simple sphere of Styrofoam that could be used as a stool or a table. As he developed the final form, the stool started to take on the shape of the classic Weber barbeque grill, evoking childhood memories for Chiappa. He painted the stool in what he thought was the ugliest color he could find and finished it with red plastic feet – or hooves – to animate the work.
Chiappa then began creating more stools and dipping them into vats of oil-based enamels, letting the waterline of the paint draw crisp lines on the rough surfaces of the stools, and the concept quickly developed to 12 or 13 variations. He began exploring different materials, executing one in chainsaw-carved pine, and others in colorful hand-rolled resin balls. The stools become three dimensional canvasses, and the decorations become explorations into painting without the inherit apprehension of competing with Art History. Eventually Chiappa’s variations on this theme lead to and culminated in the eyeball stool, a sort of self-portrait, which gives the other stools on the rack their own consciousnesses. The series now comprises over 70 unique stools.
presented in collaboration with Kate Werble Gallery, New York
These stools were developed in 2003 through explorations artist Christopher Chiappa was doing at the time replicating a mid-century modern coffee table in resin-coated styrofoam. Unhappy with the lack of volume of the coffee table he was attempting to sculpt – a flat-topped table with thin legs – he carved a simple sphere of Styrofoam that could be used as a stool or a table. As he developed the final form, the stool started to take on the shape of the classic Weber barbeque grill, evoking childhood memories for Chiappa. He painted the stool in what he thought was the ugliest color he could find and finished it with red plastic feet – or hooves – to animate the work.
Chiappa then began creating more stools and dipping them into vats of oil-based enamels, letting the waterline of the paint draw crisp lines on the rough surfaces of the stools, and the concept quickly developed to 12 or 13 variations. He began exploring different materials, executing one in chainsaw-carved pine, and others in colorful hand-rolled resin balls. The stools become three dimensional canvasses, and the decorations become explorations into painting without the inherit apprehension of competing with Art History. Eventually Chiappa’s variations on this theme lead to and culminated in the eyeball stool, a sort of self-portrait, which gives the other stools on the rack their own consciousnesses. The series now comprises over 70 unique stools.
