Posted on: Friday, April 5, 2002

Chairs remade into works of art

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Sabra Rae Feldstein was inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy to create "Beatrice."

When is a chair not a chair? When it's given to an artist for "interpretation."

The Contemporary Museum asked 25 Hawai'i artists to transform a simple, basic wood chair (donated by C.S Wo & Sons) into a fun, funky work of art that could be auctioned off as part of the museum's ConTempoRARITIES fund-raiser. The artists were given a stipend of $50 for materials, donated by Sharon and Thurston Twigg-Smith. The results ranged from cute and cuddly to irreverent and ironic to outrageously kitschy. Few could still be sat upon.

Some artists used materials that were comfortable and familiar, such as Jinja Kim's transfer lettering, often an element in her mixed media works on paper. Others stretched their skills as well as their imaginations with everything from astro turf to fake fur, wheels, zippers, pipe fittings and galvanized steel.

The result? An eclectic, tongue-in-cheek collection of artful chairs that will be auctioned off to benefit the museum.

Rich Richardson, who is known for his light boxes, began working several months ago with objects he finds. His chair reflects the new direction. "I'm not allowed to go to Home Depot. I have to work with found things and let things happen as they may with the objects at hand," Richardson explained.

For his chair, titled "Any Time," Richardson used materials he picked up around his Chinatown neighborhood: galvanized steel, bicycle handlebars, a "No Parking Any Time" sign.

In a philosophical mood, he turned the sign's negative message to a positive one by folding the sign back so it reads "Any Time." He also enjoyed the double entendre that injected an element of sexuality into the piece.

It's about "turning old things or negative messages into something uplifting," Richardson said.

Painter and textile artist Yvonne Cheng, who called her piece "Princess Pupule's Throne," evoked retro kitsch in her chair. She used acrylic paint on canvas for the image of a 1930s hula girl on the chair's back. "I didn't like the legs (of the chair) so I covered them up with a hula skirt," she said.

Clay artist Sabra Rae Feldstein, in an amusing turn, turned her chair into a muse called Beatrice, after the guide in Dante's "The Divine Comedy." "If I ever get stuck, I can hang out with Beatrice and get unstuck," she said. "The chair is something I can sit in and be comfortable but, as my muse, it will also inspire me in my work."

To create Beatrice, Feldstein used a styrofoam wig head, high-heeled boots, leg warmers, a shawl and a pair of angel wings from an old Halloween costume.

The chairs are on display today through April 19 at Neiman Marcus. Five will be in the main window; the remaining chairs will be on the first floor in the special events area. Starting bids range from $250 to $400. Absentee bidding is available. Call The Contemporary Museum at 526-1322 for more information.