Inside Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s NYC Exhibition Space
A two-floor shifting display of otherworldly art and design
In addition to their Mayfair and Marais locations, Carpenters Workshop Gallery recently opened a midtown, NYC location to showcase the curiosities they’ve come top exhibit over the years. Commencing on the 19th floor of the iconic (and recently renovated) Takashimaya Building, the gallery hosts frequently changing exhibitions—with Dutch designer Maarten Baas’s Carapace on display at present. It’s their second floor, however, that stands as one of the most intriguing art spaces in NYC. A high-ceilinged penthouse, with a near unprecedented view of the city, houses work from many contemporary artists and designers the gallery represents, as well as one-off pieces the curators have picked up along the way.
A “flock of birds”-like chandelier from Studio Drift—which is responsive to human movement—floats above on independently hung strands. Maarten Baas’ “Grandfather Clock Self Portrait,” a working clock and video installation piece for which the artist filmed himself for 12 hours while hand-drawing minutes ticking by, rests across from a Rick Owens’ Alchemy Chair. A Marc Newson Event Horizon table also happens to fall beside Sebastian Brajkovic’s Conversation Piece chair. Many of the pieces are switched out with regularity, in a never-ending group show fashion. Between the quality of work and the glorious natural light, it makes sense that CWG is housed only a few blocks from MoMA: together they make an appropriate art day pairing.
Images by David Graver
