John Chamberlain's Former Studio Hosts Star-Studded Interview Series

"American sculptor, photographer, and poet John Chamberlain ushered Abstract Expressionism into the third dimension, and dissolved the boundaries between art and design. This week, on the eve of what would have been Chamberlain's 100th birthday, his estate is launching ON THE COUCH, a new, biweekly filmed interview series honoring today's cultural visionaries. Season one will host eight stars, including artist Daniel Arsham, architect Annabelle Selldorf, and fashion designer Alexander Wang."

"Each 35- to 55-minute episode will follow a similar format. Guests will make the trek to the John Chamberlain Estate's new private museum on Shelter Island, where Chamberlain maintained a studio from 2000 until his death in 2011. There, guests will settle into Chamberlain's sprawling, parachute-draped WILEY'S ISLAND (1997) for a ranging chat. Some of Chamberlain's huge aluminum foil coils, which starred at Rockefeller Center last year, will stand in for a live studio audience."

"Today, Chamberlain remains best known for the warped scrap metal sculptures he started making in the 1950s. The following decade, however, the Indiana-born artist started sawing foam in a similarly rigorous fashion, until he arrived at his beloved couches. As the legend goes, Chamberlain made the first such seating for his friend Donald Judd."

""Chamberlain's couches were central to our family life," said Alexandra Fairweather, Chamberlain's step daughter, estate director, and ON THE COUCH host, in a statement. "I grew up on them when we lived at the de Koonings ' home in East Hampton, and Chamberlain even made me a mini couch for my crib.""

John Chamberlain’s estate is launching ON THE COUCH, a biweekly filmed interview series honoring cultural visionaries. Season one will feature eight guests, including artist Daniel Arsham, architect Annabelle Selldorf, and fashion designer Alexander Wang. Episodes will run 35 to 55 minutes and follow a consistent format in which guests visit the John Chamberlain Estate’s private museum on Shelter Island. Guests will sit in Chamberlain’s parachute-draped WILEY’S ISLAND (1997) for conversations. Chamberlain’s foam couches connect to his broader practice, which began with warped scrap metal sculptures in the 1950s and later expanded into foam work. The series uses Chamberlain’s large aluminum foil coils as a stand-in for a live audience.

Read at Artnet News