Three designs by students on the Design course at the Kassel Art Academy, which were presented as part of the exhibition “STAY – Textile Seating Objects” (26 February–29 March 2026) at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, have been permanently added to the collection of Die Neue Sammlung. The works in question are FARFALLA by Helena Bals, MIKADO by Matilda Grams and DÉ by Linjun Zeng. The exhibition focused on the theme of seating and showcased experimental designs from the Textile Product Design course at the art academy, led by Prof. Ayzit Bostan.
FARFALLA (Helena Bals) reinterprets the seat cushion. An oversized bangle transforms from a decorative object into a structural element, linking the cushion and side table. The ring-shaped structure creates both a surface for storage and tension – a controlled compression shapes the volume and silhouette. The element remains flexible. Its use is situational: alone, in pairs, and flexibly within the space.
MIKADO (Matilda Grams) translates architectural and sculptural design approaches into a piece of comfortable furniture. The tensegrity structure, comprising five stainless steel tubes and wire ropes, achieves stability through tension alone. The armchair, featuring a textile mesh structure, appears light, minimalist and floating. Thanks to a folding mechanism, the design can be folded completely flat for transport, becoming an almost two-dimensional object.
DÉ (Linjun Zeng) – Drapé for a chair. By draping the woollen fabric, the hard, industrial lines are replaced by a softer, body-hugging silhouette. The chair gains volume, weight and presence. The wool brings warmth, texture and a sense of intimacy all at once. Drawing on the intersection between craftsmanship and industrial design, Dé questions the status of the mass-produced item. The textile cover serves as protection, a surface and an identity marker for a standard chair.
The exhibition “STAY – Textile Seating Objects” was developed as a collaboration between the Kunsthochschule Kassel and Die Neue Sammlung and was curated by Prof. Ayzit Bostan, Dr. Polina Gedova and Prof. Dr. Angelika Nollert. The inclusion of the works in the institution’s collection represents a special honour and recognises both the creative quality and the conceptual strength of the students’ designs.
Further information:
www.die-neue-sammlung.de
