April 8 – 13 | Salone del Mobile | Friedman Benda Presents “Far Afield” by Misha Kahn
As part of Capsule Plaza, Friedman Benda presents “Far Afield”, a solo exhibition of new work by Misha Kahn during Salone del Mobile 2025, opening from April 8 to April 13 at Piazza Risorgimento 8, Milan.
The fantastical backdrop is a sprawling grid of Azimuth mirrors. Their name comes from an archaic method of celestial measurement. Kahn places the viewers at the epicenter of a cosmic challenge, and the mirrors “seem to reflect our desire to measure ourselves against our abyss”.
The other works include a densely entangled 3D printed dining table, a hulking console in carved marble, and a cast bronze chandelier — each stretching their form language to explore the limits of terrestrially identifiable shapes. Kahn says: “The forms seem as curious to be seen as they are shyly hiding from view. This open approach to form finding is less interested in identifying key relationships and more in exploring their entire ecosystem.”
The new works are buttressed by slightly more familiar works in an array of craft media — a mohair carpet merging virtual reality pseudo-weaving with expert hand weaving by Stephens Tapestry Studio in South Africa. A couch, Mole Eats Worm , and chair, Double Shuck Pea , employ just one single piece of hardware to lock-in their final shape from a group of puzzling entangled amorphous forms. They will be shown here for the first time in Dedar fabric.
Show Information
Piazza Risorgimento 8, Capsule Plaza, Milano, Italy
Press Day | April 7, 10:30 am – 6:00 pm
Public Show Days | April 8 – 13, 10;30 am – 7:30 pm
About Misha Kahn
Misha Kahn has emerged as one of the leading creative voices of his generation. Through a wildly imaginative approach that embraces spontaneity and non-conformity, Kahn allows the illogical and the irreverent to take over his process. He employs an entire spectrum from lo-fi and ad hoc techniques—such as improvisational molds and collage—to virtual reality.
Born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1989, Kahn graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 2011 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Furniture Design. Early in his career, he gained recognition when he was featured in the Museum of Arts and Design’s Biennial (2014).
Unafraid to push boundaries, Kahn is driven to self-invent, adapt, and further processes in a myriad of mediums including metalwork, glass, wood, textiles, ceramic, casting, fiberglass, resin, and cement. Embracing an unorthodox result, he seeks the opportunity to learn from masters in their respective crafts. For example, Kahn’s acclaimed woven Scrappy series (since 2015) is the result of a collaboration with Gone Rural, a female group of
traditional weavers based in Eswatini. He has also produced several woven tapestries and rugs with Stephens Tapestry Studio of South Africa. Other meaningful practitioners whom Kahn has worked with include artist Alma Allen’s studio in Mexico, glass sculptor Deborah Czeresko in Brooklyn, and the famed late Italian jewelry designer GianCarlo Montebello.
In April 2022 Museum Villa Stuck will host Kahn’s first institutional solo show titled Wobble Moon: Objects from the Capricious Age . His work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collection of museums such as the Corning Museum of Glass, NY; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX and Speed Museum of Art, Louisville, KY. Kahn lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
About Friedman Benda
Friedman Benda identifies and advances key narratives that intersect contemporary design, craft, architecture, fine art, and cutting-edge technological research. The gallery promotes synthesis between leading creative thinkers and makers by creating opportunities to advance new connections within the global design community. Friedman Benda is committed to a critical view of design history. We aim to expand the design dialogue from its established sources, exploring perspectives that have previously been marginalized. Spanning five continents and four generations, Friedman Benda represents a roster of seminal established and emerging designers, as well as historically significant estates. With locations in New York and Los Angeles, the gallery’s exhibitions, publications and collaborations with institutions have played a vital role in the development of the contemporary design market and scholarship since 2007. For further information please visit www.friedmanbenda.com and the gallery’s Instagram @friedman_benda
and YouTube channel.