The Future Perfect, in partnership with the Danish Arts Foundation, is proud to present Open and Closed – a group exhibition of new works by nine emerging Danish artists and designers. On view from October 27 – December 15 at Casa Perfect New York, the exhibition explores the metaphor of a box, its quality as an object, and its context in society.

For the exhibition, The Future Perfect invited each artist to construct miniature three-dimensional containers adhering to the conventional characteristics of a box while reflecting each designer’s unique aesthetic and practice. The nine works on view highlight both the beauty of construction and the possibility of the space they hold. This collection of distinctive containers constructs a conceptual dialogue between the makers and viewers, encouraging viewers to immerse themselves in each designers’ work and consider how each box connects to the exterior world.

“The box is a poignant symbol of spaces as they are opened and closed and of the rigid conditions under which many artworks are made and presented,” says The Future Perfect Director Laura Young “To show work created from such a fixed concept, we explore how every object and artwork we interact with carries within it a set of complex economic and political circumstances.”

Open and Closed’s nine artists’ interpretations and unique approaches to this theme are prevalent throughout the show, which sees artist Cathrine Raben Davidsen explore the symbolism and spiritual qualities behind the ceramic tradition of an urn and the notion of space tackled by Annelie Grimwalde Olofsson, who uses materials which allow objects to distort and expand. Iben Høj and Louise Hedegaard Madsen’s work utilizes natural fibers in creating sheer soft surfaces that challenge conventional material boundaries, and the notion of interval vs. external by allowing the viewer to glancein. In contrast, Ida Elke, Mariko Wada, and Pettersen & Hein gravitate to the use of natural resources such as stoneware, metal, clay, and concrete in designing miniature containers. Other artists, namely Elly Glossop, and Stine Mikkelsen, confront materiality by upcycling and engineering their own composites from crushed glass bead and marble, quartz sand, fish glue, porcelain, and volcanic glass fragments.

Open and Closed was curated by Laura Young and will be on view at Casa Perfect New York from October 27 through December 15, 2021.