Object Oriented: Abstraction and Design in the BAMPFA Collection

Object Oriented: Abstraction and Design in the BAMPFA Collection explores how artists have represented, reshaped, and reimagined familiar objects, drawing attention to the role of design in our everyday lives. This exhibition encourages acts of close looking, asking viewers to question their immediate recognition of what they see. In this way, an object that might at first appear to be a chair could also be considered a sculpture, a stand-in for a body, or simply a piece of metal. This exhibition brings questions of design into conversation with abstraction. The paintings on view emphasize their own materiality rather than picturing or alluding to something outside of themselves. At the same time, items that might seem functional are also explorations of color, shape, pattern, and texture. By highlighting these formal aspects of the pieces, the exhibition calls into question our assumptions around the utility of objects. Drawing from BAMPFA's expansive holdings, Object Oriented positions abstract painting and sculpture alongside works designed for architectural spaces, maquettes, and artist's books. Seen together, these works bring a new awareness to the ways we think about and categorize objects through art and design.