'Where There's Smoke...' is a continuing narrative told through one-of-a-kind pieces created by Dutch designer Maarten Baas for Moss. In the series historic, iconic examples representing what are considered the most innovative 20th century aesthetic movements (and which have been the strongest personal influences in the studies of this young graduate from the Design Academy Eindhoven, the Netherlands), including the Jugendstil, Mid-twentieth century, and Contemporary periods, are systematically burned and then stabilized, first with an epoxy resin, and then with a special lacquer. Where required, these pieces are re-upholstered in specially-commissioned felted-wools created by contemporary Dutch textile artist Claudy Jongstra. As in the great steam engines of the nineteenth century, Baas proposes design as a "fuel" which, when thrown on the fire, releases energy to propel us forward. Wielding a torch as one might a chisel, Baas re-sculpts these design icons with flame, careful to maintain and preserve, as much as possible, their structural integrity (and thereby their original functionality). Their authorship and identity altered, they become revisionist, highly personal, audacious expressions of Baas, all now related through his personal experience and through the eloquence of their metamorphosis.

Selected Exhibitions of "Where There's Smoke" and "Smoke"

2010
"Making Things Personal - Maarten Baas" SM's - Stedelijk Museum 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

2009
"Telling Tales" Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Design Miami/2009 "Maarten Baas: Designer of the Year"
"Zig Zag Chair" San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (permanent collection)

2008
“Art of Reason” Moss LA, Los Angeles, CA

2007
“Glitter and Smoke” Moss LA, Los Angeles, CA
"Smoke Mirror" Victoria and Albert Museum, London (permanent collection|
"Zig Zag Chair", The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (permanent collection)
Design Miami / Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Salone del Mobile, Milan, Italy
Groninger Museum, Netherlands
“Top End Low End” Designhuis Museum, Eindhoven, NL

2006
Cibone, Tokyo, Japan
“Live from our Studios” Moss Design Miami / Art Basel, Miami, FL
“The New Order” Moss NY, New York, NY
ICFF Moss NY, New York, NY
“Dutch Design” Exhibition, ACME Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2005
“05 Degrees of Separation” Moss Design Miami / Art Basel, Miami, FL
Ian Schrager’s Gramercy Park Hotel (permanent collection), New York NY
“Nocturnal Emissions” Groninger Museum, Netherlands
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Netherlands

2004
“Brilliant” Victoria and Albert Museum, London
“Nest” Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Netherlands
“Where There’s Smoke…” Moss NY, New York NY

2002
debut of “Smoke series with Moooi

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