On Archpaper: Saccharine Design

My review of Marcel Wanders’ exhibition Daydreams at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for The Architect’s Newspaper just went online. Let’s just say I was not impressed.

I’ve always seen Wanders’ work juxtaposed with minimalism or with the rougher-edged contemporaries at Droog. The contrast makes those flowers and ruffles seem subversive, but here they just seem pretty, even a little tacky. Some of the pieces seem minutes away from being knocked off by Urban Outfitters. I thought this particularly of the Wallflower lamps (2009), glass blossoms with changing hues, arranged in a circle on the wall. With a blacklight and a shag rug, your tween would be all set.

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And in case any of you didn’t know: I am also on Twitter @LangeAlexandra. If I knew how to make my tweets magically appear in the sidebar, I would, but I’m not sure I want to give Tumblr the satisfaction of upgrading to a Premium Theme for that pleasure.