© Marcel Wanders: Pinned Up, 25-year design.

AMSTERDAM.- Marcel Wanders: Pinned Up at the Stedelijk is the designer’s first survey exhibition in Europe since 1999, the first-ever large-scale presentation of Wanders’ work, and the first major design exhibition at the Stedelijk since its reopening in 2012. The exhibition encompasses designs from Wanders’ entire oeuvre, from the late 1980s to the present day. More than 400 objects are on view in the monumental lower-level gallery space in the new wing of the Stedelijk. 

Conceived in three parts, the presentation contains a white zone, which offers an analysis of Wanders’ work based on 10 themes (such as craftsmanship, narratives and dialogues, surface, innovation, archetypes, variation, and playing with scale); a black zone presenting work of a more personal and often experimental nature in a theatrical setting; and a lounge where Wanders’ role as Art Director for design brands, including Moooi, is explored. 

All of Wander’s iconic works are featured, such as the Set Up Shades lamp (1989), the Knotted Chair (1995-1996), Lace Table (1997), Egg Vase (1997), Airborne Snotty Vases (2001), the New Antiques furniture (2005), and the Skygarden lamp (2007). Also on view are lesser-known pieces together with the Carbon Balloon Chair (2013), which makes its European debut in this exhibition. 

JacobTV, alias Jacob Ter Veldhuis, the much-praised Dutch avant-garde pop composer, has created a soundscape especially for the exhibition. 

First-ever public unveiling: The Virtual Interiors

Featured as part of the black zone, the exhibition also includes the first-ever viewing of an extraordinary series of seven ‘virtual interiors’ created by the designer. The works are autonomous digital films of fantasy interiors, some containing Wanders’ designs, others of interiors never destined to exist in the real world. The videos conjure up a dreamlike world, with subtle movements that hypnotize and immerse the viewer. These Virtual Interiors reveal a mysterious, darker side of Wanders. His so-called Monster Chair of 2010 is a prelude to this shadowy world: a chair with the face of a monster embroidered in the back – a reference to Wanders’ imaginary monsters. 

Marcel Wanders (Boxtel, NL, 1963) is recognized as one of the most distinguished designers of recent decades. He made his international breakthrough in 1996 with the Knotted Chair, a combination of high-tech material with a low-tech macramé technique. Wanders was initially associated with the avant-garde, conceptual movement of Dutch Design, which caused an international furor largely through the activities of the Droog Design platform. However, Wanders soon found his way into the wider design industry, with particular success abroad. Since then, his designs have been sold worldwide. 

Wanders is internationally noted for his products, furniture, interiors and bold art direction. He works for internationally distinguished brands and, under the name ‘Personal Editions’ produces more experimental pieces. He has also worked on interior design projects since 1999, such as the VIP Room of the Dutch pavilion at the World’s Fair in Hannover (2000), Villa Moda in Bahrain (2008) and the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht Hotel (2012). 

Marcel Wanders, Knotted Chair, armchair, 1995-1996, Dry / Cappellini / Personal Editions.

Marcel Wanders, One Minute Delft Blue, vases, 2006, Personal Edition. 

Marcel Wanders, Egg Vase, vase, 1997, Dry For Rosenthal / Moooi.

Marcel Wanders, Sparkling Chair, Chair, 2010, Magis.

Marcel Wanders, The Lucky One, sculpture, 2004, Personal Edition.

Marcel Wanders, Big Shadow Special: Eyeshadow, floor lamp, 2011, Cappellini.

Marcel Wanders, Interior Royal Wing Room, Dutch Pavilion Expo 2000, Hanover, 2000, with VIP Chairs (Moooi) and tablecloth (Dutch Textile Museum).

Dutch designer Marcel Wanders poses , during his retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, on January 31 2014. AFP PHOTO/ANP KOEN VAN WEEL

Dutch designer Marcel Wanders poses between two of his Knotted Chairs during a preview of his exhibition, entitled 'Marcel Wanders: Pinned Up at the Stedelijk. 25 Years of Design', at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, on January 31, 2014. The retrospective opens to the public from February 1st to June 15. AFP PHOTO / AMP / KOEN VAN WEEL.