Ian Collings’ sculptural debut
At Casa Perfect, LA, artist and designer Ian Collings unveils a new series of delicate stone sculptures which offer a window into our planet’s history

Three years since Ian Collings left Fort Standard, the Brooklyn-based design company that he co-founded shortly after graduating from the Pratt Institute, the sculptor has unveiled his first body of sculptural work. Currently on view at Casa Perfect in Los Angeles and titled ‘Primary Data’ it comprises a wide variety of forms, all cut from stone. Collings’ sculptural debut brings together his equally diverse range of interests and specialised areas of study.
Collings’ departure from Fort Standard was motivated by a drive to build up a sculptural practice. As an artist, Collings’ approach reflects his exposure to different craftspeople from a young age and reconciling that with his formal design training. In this inaugural collection of work, his ability to manipulate stone into small abstract monoliths that teeter between the natural and manmade, challenge viewers to consider what elements predate the artist’s hand.
Stone Object 43
‘I am attracted to working with materials that are evocative of the ‘big picture’,’ says Collings, who is based between Ojai in California and Pavones, Costa Rica. ‘In doing so, I am able to examine my relationship with uncertainty. I am drawn to stone for the way it dislocates my human-centric sense of importance. It encourages me to cultivate a faith of willful not-knowing, rather than a trust in absolutes. Through it, I feel more connected to the cosmos. It helps me to imagine wholeness.’
He continues, ‘Viewing these stones that I carve into as lithified bits of stardust reframes the material in new terms. I see them as images of time. I feel a relationship between things, regardless of their scale and complexity. I imagine everything that is, emerging from the same stuff; a sort of primary data. Not from some distant location in time, but as an explosive simultaneity of which I am a small part.’
Stone Wall Hanging 13
Each of Collings’ sculptures at Casa Perfect highlights the mercurial qualities of stone. In the sculptor’s hands, it appears light, malleable, animated and majestic at all times, and each sculpture appears true to the unique characteristics of the stone, be it green marble, travertine, or white alabaster.
The artist also embraces the philosophical duality of working with stone. He says, ‘These stone objects are a reflection on the material as such. The raw and metamorphosed stuff of the universe, perpetually transforming. Each one contains an account of billions of years. Their ambiguous forms allude to their temporally abstract position: neither fully articulate nor without meaning.’
Stone Object 46
Stone Object 25
INFORMATION
Ian Collings, ’Primary Data’, until August 31 2021, Casa Perfect. thefutureperfect.com
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Pei-Ru Keh is the US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru has held various titles at Wallpaper* since she joined in 2007. She currently reports on design, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru has taken a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars and actively seeks out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Byredo holiday collection draws inspiration from Wim Wenders and Georgia O’Keefe
Byredo’s creative image director Lucia Pica speaks to Wallpaper* in an exclusive interview, revealing her off-kilter design process
By Mary Cleary Published
-
2024 Pantone Color of the Year is looking deliciously peachy
Peach Fuzz is Pantone Color of the Year – time to refeather your nest in a comforting hue?
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Design Miami 2023 explores how design responds to the world around us
Design Miami 2023 (until 10 December), curated by Anna Carnick, is guided by the theme of ‘Where We Stand’
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Sheila Metzner’s jewel-toned fashion photography goes on show in Los Angeles
‘Sheila Metzner: From Life’ is at the Getty Center until 18 February 2024, including her richly toned fashion photography and still lifes; the artist tells us more
By Hunter Drohojowska-Philp Published
-
Takashi Murakami on his monsterizing San Francisco show
Takashi Murakami tells us of pandemic-inspired creatures, eye-popping flowers, and NFTs as he explains the making of his exhibition at Asian Art Museum in San Francisco
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
How to conquer the Atomic City: the story behind U2 at the new Las Vegas Sphere
U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere redefines the 21st-century rock concert. We spoke to the band and its team about the genesis of this expansive art and music experience that marks the opening of the high-tech venue
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Ceramicist Jonathan Cross on crafting art from desert materials in the Mojave
Jonathan Cross’ flourishing practice incorporates local sand and stones from his base on the edge of Joshua Tree to create minimalist works with a unique patina
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
New glass sculpture creates a verdant wonderland at Apple’s Cupertino HQ
‘Mirage’ at Apple Park is the work of Zeller & Moye and artist Katie Paterson, a shimmering array of glass columns that snakes through the grounds of the company’s monumental HQ
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Ken Gun Min’s mixed-media montages reframe cultural influences and queer identity
South Korean-born, LA-based Ken Gun Min illusively combines painting, embroidery and illustration
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Jack Pierson’s photographs and sculptures go on show in New York
Artist Jack Pierson draws on life experiences for a new show, ‘Pomegranates’, at Lisson Gallery, New York
By Hannah Silver Published
-
TikTok gets tangible: artist Devon Rodriguez opens his first exhibition, in New York
Devon Rodriguez, who until now has reserved his work for his 31 million TikTok followers, has opened his first exhibition at UTA Artist Space’s pop-up gallery in Chelsea, New York
By Hannah Silver Published