Dozie Kanu takes a hybrid approach that draws
on both visual art and design. He refuses to define
objects unambiguously. “I just can’t get bogged
down by the concepts too much because it’s like
soul spill.” as he himself once put it.
For the summer exhibition at Fondation Beyeler
(19 May–11 August 2024) Kanu pushed the
boundaries of traditional sculpture and created
objects that can be not just contemplated but
also used. What he was striving for was a work
that would leave the purely optical dimension
behind and offer visitors a tactile experience as well.
Inspired by Franz West’s chair installation at the
Fondation Beyeler, Kanu invites visitors to take a
seat on his chairs and to linger there for a while,
even as the chairs themselves retain their status
as works of art.
Dozie Kanu (b. 1993) was born and raised in
Houston, Texas, and later lived in New York before
moving to Portugal. He is represented by the
Galerie Francesca Pia in Zurich. The Studio Museum
in Harlem, New York, staged a solo exhibition
of his works in 2019 and there was another at
the Kunstverein Essen, Germany, in 2022. Kanu
won the “Catalogues for Young Artists Prize”
awarded by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und
Halbach-Stiftung in 2021, having previously won
the Basel-based Hublot Design Prize in 2018.
Aluminium, polyurethane foam
Colour: Nightblue and Purple
71.3 × 79.6 × 23 cm
Edition: 1 + 1 AP
Copyright: Dozie Kanu
Courtesy: Dozie Kanu
Provenance: donated by the artist.
