Superficies exercise 1957

This is ‘Superficies exercise’ by Tomas Maldonado. It's hard to tell the exact date, but it's an experiment with form, a dialogue between art and function. It looks like it's made from a single piece of white material, folded and shaped into a kind of chair or seat. The surface is smooth, almost like porcelain, yet the creases and folds suggest a more malleable, almost fabric-like quality. See how the light catches the edges, defining each plane with stark clarity? The central indentation, like a soft crater, invites touch, and perhaps, occupation. I’m reminded of minimalist sculptures, but with a playful, almost anthropomorphic twist. Like a geometric body, it seems to be breathing. It's as if Maldonado is asking us to rethink the relationship between art and the everyday, to find beauty in the unexpected intersections of form and function, inviting us to question what constitutes art in a world increasingly dominated by mass production. It calls to mind the work of Bauhaus artists, where design was considered a total art form.