Richard Woods presents 'Work Tables' at Friedman Benda

A series of bold and colourful tables in a white room which has bold prints on the walls

British designer Richard Woods is presenting an array of new work at New York's Friedman Benda Project Space. 'Work Tables' is a series of bold prints printed across 20 tabletops

(Image credit: Daniel Kukla)

By Carly Ayres

last updated 10 August 2022

Those who have experienced the work of Richard Woods might liken it to falling into a comic strip or a passage out of Edwin Abbott Abbott’s Flatland. Graphic, two-dimensional worlds are transposed onto a three-dimensional plane using woodblock prints. The result is a somewhat disorienting display.

Woods' latest work follows a similar vein, this time applying an array of bold prints across 20 tabletops. Aptly titled 'Work Tables', the series is presented as part of an exhibition of the same name at Friedman Benda Project Space this week.

Treating the tabletops as a storyboard, Woods lets the narrative unfold across each surface through layers of pattern and print. As with his other works, 'Work Tables' employs an element of trompe l'oeil in the form of patterned tablecloths setting the stage for the story, while diverging in the use of stenciled silhouettes that bring each frame to life.

Side by side, the tables depict moments over the course of a meal with scenes such as ‘Get the Cat Off the Table (AJ)’ and ‘Outdoor Eating (MA)’. Each suggests a specific event in time, whether a disobedient cat on the table, a forgotten saw, or scattered picnic cutlery.

Visitors are invited to wind their way through the series, getting a glimpse into these abstracted moments, captured by Woods and reconstructed as vivid displays of form and colour.

A different view of the tables, with bold prints on the walls — Treating the tabletops as a storyboard, Woods lets the narrative unfold across each surface through layers of pattern and print

Left: red and white gingham pattern with black, white and red geometric shapes on top. Right: Black and white check pattern with white circles on top — As with his other works, 'Work Tables' employs an element of trompe l'oeil in the form of patterned tablecloths setting the stage for the story. Pictured: closer views of 'Gingham Diner (JM)' (left) and 'Scraped and Scratched (MJ)' (right)

On a grey background, there are cat silhouettes in white and blue — Each suggests a specific event in time, whether a disobedient cat on the table, a forgotten saw, or scattered picnic cutlery. Pictured: 'Get the Cat Off the Table (AJ)'

INFORMATION

'Work Tables' is on view until 19 August. For more information, visit Frieman Benda's website

Photography: Daniel Kukla

ADDRESS

Friedman Benda Project Space
515 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10001

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