The Art of Function

The Haas Brothers exist in a world where everything can be sat on or placed a drink upon. Everything has a function. Nikolai and Simon made fantastical creatures come to life, to live with and around, and when seen together, have this almost otherworldly fantasy universe that is like Jim Henson on more acid.

Having shown with R & Company for years, the Haas Brothers have been at the forefront of this new world of art and design being melded, shaped, and grown together. With them, these boundaries blur. “Lets Call It a Movement,” we said in Issue 01 of The Unibrow, but it rings true. What Evan Snyderman wrote in that piece also applies so well to the Brothers, that “the story of collectible design is still being written—by artists, collectors, curators, and anyone willing to see objects not just as things, but as ideas...”. Well, the Haas Brothers have a lot of ideas.

A major museum survey of 85 artworks is on view in New York City at the Museum of Arts and Design, aptly titled Uncanny Valley. It’s their largest show to date. And in it, you begin to see how the whole concept of their work comes together; simply, the Brothers believe your chair should have a personality. They design objects — chairs, tables, lamps — that are weird, wonderful, and completely sit-on-able. Their furniture looks like it wandered in from another dimension, yet it functions exactly as advertised. That's their whole thing: art shouldn't live behind a velvet rope. It should live in your living room, hold your coffee, and maybe stare back at you a little. But it should also be… you know, art. And why that has been such a long and winding road to cross is beyond me.

Nikolai Haas said of the body of work that “Flirting with the edges of definitions and dichotomies has long been fun for us. The question "is it or isn't it _____?" is a favorite of ours, where the blank can be the obvious ‘design’ or ‘art’ – or it can be ‘beautiful,’ ‘funny,’ ‘touchable,’ ‘mathematical.’ It’s all about asking questions that allow us to explore tension and balance.” It all works, for you and for your room. —Evan Pricco