SOFA New York Highlights Contemporary Decorative Arts

SOFA New York sounds like it might be a showcase of comfy couches but SOFA actually stands for the Sculptural Objects Functional Art Fair which opens April 16 at Park Avenue Armory. The four-day event begins with an evening preview on April 15. The show features 60 galleries from the United States, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Turkey, Japan, and Brazil showcasing work from artists and designers around the globe.

The show turns traditional decorative arts on an edge embracing both purely sculptural forms and conceptual meanings, but also new materials and processes. There are pieces of art glass, silver, ceramics, fiber, metal, wood, as well as modern unconventional materials from high-tech polymers to recycled rubber. This is the place to see the latest creations in contemporary decorative arts and snap up work from rising stars.

Framing the Armory's entrance will be an installation created from discarded and deconstructed encyclopedias by Rhode Island-based artist Wendy Wahl. Tickets to the opening night are $100. General admission to the show is $25 per day or $40 for a four-day pass, both include a catalog.

Shown above is Michael Eden's A Rebours, 2009. Check out more dealer highlights in the gallery below.