September 25, 2023

Words: Rebecca Thienes

Photography: Clemens Kois

Liam Lee’s Debut Solo Exhibition Features Otherworldly Seating

Self-taught New York-based designer Liam Lee creates other­worldly felted furniture with limbs that appear to undulate like seaweed underwater. He dyes merino wool in vibrant hues and hand-tufts it over minimal armature, a labor-intensive process. For his debut solo exhibition at TriBeCa gallery Patrick Parrish in June dubbed “Catch and Release,” Lee produced five chairs and a stool, as well as other works demonstrating new material explorations, including glazed ceramics and works on paper. The show’s title alluded to the process of craft, especially the need to try many ideas before alighting on the most engaging work. “It’s a way of not holding onto the things you create, of catching the thing in your hand for a brief time as it takes shape and then letting go,” Lee says. The resulting pieces play with texture, tantalizing the viewer to touch.

Liam Lee.
Liam Lee.
Catch & Release chair in blue
Catch & Release.
Catch & Release chair in purple and green

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