Austrian, Milan-based fashion designer Arthur Arbesser debuted his first furniture designs at Triennale Milano in 2022. Titled In a Box, the inaugural designs included these stylised chairs, dubbed Pemo and shaped like a chunky, sculptural outline of a traditional chair shape.
A year on, Nove Pemo (meaning 'nine Pemo') are on view at Milan's Oxilia Gallery, the design destination near Centrale opened in 2022 by Alessandro Mensi and long-term Wallpaper* collaborator Frederik De Wachter. Mensi and De Wachter lead the compact exhibition space with a neat curatorial eye (see for example Grace Prince's exhibition during Fuorisalone 2023), with every new showcase a delightful surprise.
As the exhibition title suggests, Nove Pemo features nine Pemo chairs in bright striped patterns, defined by the same bright and well-considered palettes that have characterised Arbesser's fashion collections. 'The smooth yet precise shape of the chair acquires a mesmerizing sense of motion as it interacts with the linear graphic surface. This three-dimensional amalgamation of patterns and colors evokes an immediate feeling of joy through the harmonious interplay of angles, curves, and lines,' reads a text accompanying the display.
The peculiarity of these new Pemo models is their scale: the shiny, well-crafted chairs (each available as an edition of 2) are not grown-up sized, but small enough for a child to sit on. This makes the chairs live somewhere between a playful, toy-like object and a collectible sculpture. 'I love small chairs and stools - for all ages!' Arbesser wrote introducing the project. 'This sturdy little sculpture is shiny, fun & looks delicious.'
'Nove Pemo' are on view until 28 June 2023
Oxilia Gallery
Via Nino Oxilia 9
Milan
