Nuri Koerfer
SUPERMÖBEL at Kölnischer Kunstverein
From 21 February to 4 May 2025, the exhibition SUPERFURNITURE at the Kölnischer Kunstverein takes a provocative look at the significance of furniture in the field of tension between function, design and social criticism. The complexly staged collection scrutinises our everyday relationship to domestic objects and opens up new perspectives on the political in the private sphere.
Furniture - everyday helpers in our existence - implicitly conveys social values and personal narratives. However, the exhibited works by artists such as Joseph Zehrer, Anne Bourse and Claus Richter, among others, refuse to merely conform to norms. Instead, objects are created that empathise with German reality in a dark and complex way, subtly triggering discourses on consumption and social inequality. Whether shiny shelves by Nuri Koerfer or silky matt surfaces by Michael Beutler - the objects in this exhibition are far more than decoration. They are both a refusal and a reflection, calling for a "change of scenery" and challenging us to rethink homeliness.
The exhibition impressively shows how art and everyday objects merge with each other, questioning the values and ideals we represent through our private spaces. Here it becomes clear that even the banal - such as the choice of sofa - harbours social resonance.