Search

Art

Floris Wubben Exhibits Brick’s Material Prowess in Solo Showcase

05.23.24 | By
Floris Wubben Exhibits Brick’s Material Prowess in Solo Showcase

What does brick want to be? While steel and glass rely on their inherent physical properties or the power of thinness to impress, brick and mortar are often seen as basic, relegated to a plebeian class of material often unfairly shared alongside textiles within the context of contemporary art. Challenging this cultural connotation is Netherlands-based artist Floris Wubben whose solo exhibition on view at The Future Perfect, aptly named BRICK, rejects that premise altogether in a series of arguments presented as home furnishings in an occasion that coincides with the 400th anniversary of New York City’s founding – and an architectural heritage built with Dutch-made bricks.

A modern room with floor-to-ceiling windows, black floor, a brown table on a white platform, two matching stools, a unique overhead light fixture, and a view of a lush garden outside.

Brick Stools, Table, and Chandelier

A modern art gallery features unique wooden furniture pieces on white platforms, large windows with a garden view, and light-colored curtains.

Brick Stools, Table, Chandelier, Chairs, and Hanging Mirror

Comprising a chandelier, benches, a desk, chairs, a coffee table, stools, a mural, and sculptural totems, as well as standing and wall mirrors, Wubben’s functional art balances utility with aesthetics for a design imbued with purpose and meaning. The showcase reveals brick’s magisterial potential and capacity for surface animation previously unexplored beyond architectural practice, and at an intimate scale that rivals iconic design from the heydays of Prairie style. Raw red clay also proves to be a prolific medium in a departure from his usual ceramics as extruded brick articulates movement and structure through elongated rectilinear, undulating forms in an entirely new typology for the traditional building block.

A modern art gallery features wooden furniture pieces including chairs, a table, and a mirror with geometric designs, displayed on platforms with large windows and trees visible outside.

Brick Stools, Table, Chandelier, Chairs, and Hanging Mirror

A modern living room with a large circular mirror framed by a terracotta-like material, reflecting a unique table and a pendant light fixture. There is a fireplace and large windows in the background.

Brick Hanging Mirror

Over the course of two years, Studio Floris Wubben employed proprietary techniques, contemporized historic methods, and home-built extrusion machines to fully realize the artisanal collection. And in a nod to Dutch brick-making, the designer chose to highlight material heritage using clay sourced from Dollard Polder, an area located in the Northern Netherlands, which surrounds the fabrication facilities. This earthen substance boasts a unique point of origin and is ideal for extrusion due to its naturally greasy texture, which allows for precise shaping and molding. “The discovery of the profound link between New York and Dutch brick inspired this collection,” Wubben says. “Even though the Groninger brick was not the type of brick exported from the Netherlands to New York in the past, the BRICK Project continues the tradition in a new way.”

A modern brown chandelier with white light bulbs hangs from the ceiling. In the background, a circular decorative wall piece mirrors the chandelier's design. Beige curtains cover the window.

Brick Chandelier and Hanging Mirror

A modern art installation featuring geometrically arranged wooden sculptures. A wall-mounted piece composed of interlocking shapes is displayed behind a free-standing, abstract wooden bench sculpture.

Brick Chairs and Mural

Challenges, nay highlights, of the assemblage include artifacts like the chandelier and hanging wall mirror. Four sinuous extruded bricks converge to form the luminaire – in something akin to a knot being tied – with six fluorescent lights embedded into the hollowed ends. It appears weightless despite its physical mass, subverting expectations of the typically heavy, rectilinear material. The wall mirror also appears to defy physics, resisting gravity as six curvilinear elements seemingly circle the reflective central glass portal. Up close, viewers can see the contrasting components flirting with connection – and the fine, sometimes wriggly edge between the two.

A modern art exhibit featuring abstract wooden furniture and wall art displayed under a staircase in a gallery.

Brick Coffee Table, Chairs, and Mural

A modern interior displays terracotta sculptures and structures on white shelves by a wooden staircase. A showcase with glass barriers features a prominent terracotta piece on a white platform.

Brick Sculptures and Brick Coffee Table

Brick remains one of the most fundamental, foundational, and artfully primordial building blocks for humanity. “I love it when people have a certain fascination with bricks,” Wubben says. “I’ve heard many interesting stories about bricks from other countries. Bricks are different everywhere because it is a very local product.” So what does brick want to be? Anything and everything.

A display of various wooden architectural model sculptures on white shelves, positioned against a wall under a wooden staircase.

Brick Sculptures

A room with modern wooden furniture, including a table, chair, and uniquely shaped shelving unit. Ceramic sculptures and decorative objects are placed on the floor and shelves.

Brick Standing Mirror, Sculpture, and Stools

Floris Wubben: BRICK is on view at The Future Perfect showroom in St. Luke’s Townhouse, in New York City by appointment only until June 21, 2024. To schedule a visit please go to thefutureperfect.com.

Photography by Joseph Kramm.

With professional degrees in architecture and journalism, Joseph has a desire to make living beautifully accessible. His work seeks to enrich the lives of others with visual communication and storytelling through design. Previously a regular contributor to titles under the SANDOW Design Group, including Luxe and Metropolis, Joseph now serves the Design Milk team as their Managing Editor. When not practicing, he teaches visual communication, theory, and design. The New York-based writer has also contributed to exhibitions hosted by the AIA New York’s Center for Architecture and Architectural Digest, and recently published essays and collage illustrations with Proseterity, a literary publication.