Real Fine Arts is proud to present Knoll Sofa, by Colby Bird.

A Florence Knoll sofa is placed in an otherwise empty gallery space. As an icon of modernism, the sofa places its bet on functionality, all the while recalling a classist symbol of upward mobility, upholstered in the guise of utopian ideals.

The marred appearance of Bird’s sofa suggests a general malaise or negative stance, underlining a comedic cynicism which posits a quiet protest against standards of aesthetics and the marketplace. Placed alone in a gallery with limited commercial viability, the object presents a ready made death sentence, simultaneously critiquing and engaging in it’s own marketability. In this sense, it becomes a radical gesture—rendering itself impotent when confronted with the reality of its price tag—ultimately guaranteeing its return to functionality in the artist’s studio.

Colby Bird is represented by CRG Gallery, New York. This is his second solo exhibition in New York. He has exhibited widely in the US and abroad, and is included in numerous private collections as well as a number of public collections including The Whitney Museum of American Art.