Urban Furniture Store BoConcepts Doubles as Unconventional Art Gallery for Local Artists
In a city where it can cost an art lover to get into a gallery at this exhibit you get to see art for free in a store where essentially everything is art. Let's see the Museum of Modern Art do that!
Recently I had the pleasure of visiting BoConcept Madison Avenue location for their “BoConcept presents ART for URBAN DESIGN” art show opening. For the month of June the contemporary furniture and accessories store will double as an art gallery for local artists JR Delia, Dan Schwartz, Marc van Cauwenbergh, Gabriel Hernandez, Bjorn Wallander and the lone female this month, Gigi Bio. In a city where it can cost an art lover to get into a gallery at this exhibit you get to see art for free in a store where essentially everything is art. The art and furniture is for sale so the setting allows you to see what the art would look like in your home. Let’s see the Museum of Modern Art do that! I also had the pleasure of discussing the exhibit and the store with BoConcept Design Consultant Jennifer Cheng.
Madam Toussaint for inCOLOR: On my first visit to the Bo Concept Madison Avenue location I was impressed by the merchandise and the idea of using the store as an art gallery setting. Please introduce us to Bo Concept as a store and the type of merchandise that is sold there.
Jennifer Cheng: BoConcept is a Danish company that designs contemporary furniture based on modular systems. We are known for our customized and coordinated furniture and accessories that are affordable to the
urban-minded shopper.
What is Bo Concept presents Art for Urban Design? How long has BoConcept been involved in working with artists and is this a regular feature of the store?
The Art for Urban Design exhibit is based on the BoConcept Slogan-Urban Design. We wanted to display art by local artists that can compliment an urban space. This is the first exhibit at our store on
Madison Avenue and we will continue on with another exhibit in September gearing towards fashion.
Is the New York City Madison Avenue location the only Bo Concepts involved in presenting art or do all Bo Concepts double as a gallery?
All of our stores in New York have been involved in different types of art shows and other events. We have had shows in our store in Dumbo, Soho, etc. Check out BoConcept Media Kit to see examples of some other art shows and events that have taken place in all of our stores!!
As Design Consultant at BoConcept what is your role in the BoConcept presents Art for Urban Design?
Each and every one of us at BoConcept New York tend to wear many hats on the job. A lot of us not only work as a Design Consultant, but as an Event Planner as well. Our teams in each store collaborate to plan different events throughout the year. For this particular event, my role was curator. With the help of my colleagues, I made contacts with local artists and planned the placement of their works.
How does BoConcept select artists to display?
We do our own research and also get referrals on different artists. Once we’ve gotten in contact with them, each artist goes through a series of interviews where we get to know more about them and their art. At times, we will go out to their studios to see their work.
Who was the curator for the June display? What is your background in art? Is the Bo Concept store a difficult space to curate?
Even though I was technically curator of the June art show, every one at the Madison store was involved with the exhibit.
My background is in Interior Design, which for me is a form of art. There were some challenges when it came to the placement of the pieces. Not only did the art have to compliment the rooms in the store, but it also had to correlate with the design as well. Each year, BoConcept comes out with 3 major design trends that gear towards different types of clientele. Each trend uses different styles and color schemes to create a specific type of atmosphere.
What are your thoughts on the relationship between art and modern furniture design?
Modern furniture design is known for its simplicity. The use of sleek and clean lines mixed with organic shapes makes each piece look like sculpture. A room is never complete unless there is a presence of any form of art. It is what makes the room come to LIFE.
I think the show was excellently curated so kudos to you and the team. Thank you for your time Jennifer.
Special thanks to Gigi Bio for the photos.
BoConcepts presents ART for URBAN DESIGN
Date: June 5 - 30, 2009
