American Jesse Reeves (Jessi Reaves) considers herself a sculptor, she studied at the painter, her signature objects are modernist furniture, deformed beyond recognition, on which, however, you can sit.

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It was Reeves who was approached by John Galliano, art director of Maison Margiela, with a proposal to create scenery for the display of the collection of Maison Margiela SS 2018. And this was a real sensation. There are no precedents for the sculptor to order works that have become part of the fashion house collection.

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John Galliano saw the work in her New York workshop and was shocked at how her creative process is similar to the process of creating models in Maison Margiela. He immediately called her his "spiritual sister." Reeves herself also intuitively felt the closeness of the work of John Galliano - some time ago in the London gallery of Herald Street, she put out a chair upholstered in cloth that copied the fabric of one of Galliano's dresses made for Dior.

Jesse Reeves during the Maison Margiela show

Coming up with objects for fashion shows, Jesse Reeves varied famous design icons of the twentieth century: the chair of Marcel Breuer Cesca and Isamu Noguchi’s coffee table. She transformed the ideas of Breuer and Noguchi into patchwork islands made from vinyl, polyester, leather and linen. Transforming sofas gain their true light only during the defile under the spotlight. In general, its chairs and benches should not be liked, but it is interesting to look at them.

Sofa Foam Couch with Straps, 2016. Fabric, foam rubber, braid, fiberglass. Chair Muscle Chair (Laying down to talk), 2016. Suede, steel, sawdust, tar, foam rubber. Bridget Donahue, New York. Jesse Reeves exhibition at the Bridget Donahue Gallery.

Jesse Reeves herself from Oregon, but has long lived and worked in New York. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, where her specialization was painting. As a student, she developed a taste for mixed technique and aesthetic incompleteness. Reeves loves when a construction sticks out of her sculptures, knows a lot about torn edges and curing foam.

Rack Rules Around Here (Waterproof Shelf). 2016. Plywood, vinyl, lightning, marker.

Reeves technique is simple and repeats in almost all things. The most important thing is the fabric, it is stretched on a soft foam pillow, the pillow is fastened on a wooden structure. The whole construct is usually draped with tektil, like a mannequin in the dummy way of designing clothes.

Experts have noticed that the most profitable view of all her furniture is, if you look a little lower: this is how fashion editors and buyers see the models on the catwalk during the defile. She often tears upholstery fabrics and treats with smears of acrylic paint. “To paint a piece of furniture is the easiest way to change it beyond recognition,” says Jesse Reeves. And uses this technique willingly.

Chair Twice Is Not Enough (Red to Green Chair), 2016. Wood, sawdust, steel, paralon, silk, leather, cotton.

The work of the sculptor began to exhibit the New York gallery owner Bridget Donahue. By the time of the opening of the first exhibition, Reeves already had enough sculptural furniture to fill the gallery space of 800 square meters. meters Before that, Reeves mainly participated in group exhibitions, in which her opuses always attracted the attention of the public. Making sculptural furniture is not so difficult, admits Jesse Reeves. "The tuning fork, the prototype of all forms and proportions, is still the human body."

Exhibition at the New York gallery Bridget Donahue. Bridget Donahue Gallery.

Jesse Reeves, in principle, makes sculptures resembling furniture. It is no coincidence that her works were exhibited in 2017 at the Biennale of American Art at the Whitney Museum (Whitney Biennale). Still, they differ from conventional sculpture by deliberate functionality. Reeves insists that all her works can and should sit, lie down, use as intended. “Comfort is actually very important to me. Sometimes I donate some materials or make changes to the overall look of the subject just to make it more comfortable to sit. ” On her opening day in New York, guests of the gallery, their children and pets willingly enjoy the works of Jesse Reeves.