Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1545128
43 — Laura Young become more alive and powerful. A historic home or unconventional property asks the work to respond, adapt, and converse with its surroundings. Top TFP shows for you. One of the first exhibitions I truly took full creative reign over at The Future Perfect was "The Chair," [NYC, 2019], a presentation of 50 chairs by 50 artists that serpentined through the gallery. That exhibition became a major turning point in my career and, in many ways, for the gallery itself. It birthed countless future collaborations, ideas, and exhibitions that still shape our program today. Another unforgettable exhibition was John Hogan's "Menagerie" in our San Francisco gallery [in 2019]. John created what was essentially a collection of 100 glass maquettes or sketches, early gestures toward future sculptures and ideas. We intentionally priced the works almost like candy [from $500], making them accessible and irresistible, and the exhibition nearly sold out immediately. The energy in the room that night was electric. The excitement, passion, and joy surrounding the work created one of those rare moments that reminds you exactly why exhibitions matter. It is a feeling I will probably spend the rest of my life chasing. Chris Wolston's "Temperature's Rising," [L.A., 2021], which emerged in the wake of COVID, also feels deeply important to me. The exhibition carried this sense of rebirth and t r a n s f o r m a t i o n , b o t h personally and culturally. It felt like witnessing an artist fully step into his power and become a true master of material language. And, of course, I cannot talk about meaningful exhibitions at The Future Perfect without mentioning Gaetano Pesce's exhibition in Los Angeles [2023]. Gaetano was one of the defining inspirations of my entire career and having the privilege not only to exhibit his work but to know him personally remains one of the great honors of my life. His sense of freedom, humanity, humor, and emotional expression through design profoundly shaped the way I think about objects and their role in our lives. On your current exhibition, "Dudd Lite," a take on night lights. I believe we did an open call previously for "The Chair" exhibition, but this is the first time an open call has felt this expansive and democratic to me. It became an open invitation to creativity, and I loved every second of it. The sheer vastness and number of works in this exhibition has honestly left me feeling intoxicated by creativity, which is funny to say as someone who no longer drinks. The exhibition feels abundant, playful, emotional, and alive. On collecting. I collect the artists I work with because I believe in them so deeply that, in many ways, I have devoted my life to supporting their practices. My home is filled with works by John Hogan, Chris Wolston, Chen Chen & Kai Williams, Eric Roinestad, Reinaldo Sanguino, Kathy Gray, Adam Miller, and many others from The Future Perfect family. I also live with furniture from De La Espada, SCP, and PINCH. Beyond that, I collect objects and artists that inspire me personally, including work by Fabien Cappello and James Cherry. In terms of art, I have pieces by Matthew Day Jackson, Koak, and Barry McGee, alongside works by many of my friends. I also collect what some people might call trinkets and others might call trash. I keep fragments of my life: small objects, notes, souvenirs, strange little remnants that hold emotional weight or memory. I am deeply sentimental about objects and the stories they absorb over time. And, lastly, I have a serious affinity for objects with eyes on them. Sculptures, vessels, toys, drawings, creatures, anything with a gaze. At this point, I am fairly certain my collection is watching me back. Is your own aesthetic mirrored by TFP? The Future Perfect is ultimately edited and refined so that it remains cohesive and digestible for a broader audience. My personal aesthetic, on the other hand, is far more chaotic and instinctual. It is layered, sentimental, obsessive, emotional, and probably a little overwhelming. I like to joke that The Future Perfect is the curated version of my brain, while my actual personal aesthetic is deliciously unedited. "I think humor plays a huge role [for me]. It creates openness and allows me to connect and collaborate with artists on a more instinctual and human level." — Laura Young Forget-Me-Not mirror by Natalia Triantafylli. Clutch by John Hogan. Below: Night lights from "Dudd Lite," on view at The Future Perfect, New York.