Rio Kobayashi’s new furniture bridges eras, shown alongside Fritz Rauh’s midcentury paintings at Blunk Space

In the 1950s and 1960s, Marin County, a region just north of San Francisco known for its rugged landscapes, was home to a thriving art scene. Although connected to San Francisco through people and ideas, the community there had its own unique and independent spirit. Among its creative residents were artists JB Blunk (1926-2002) and Fritz Rauh (1920-2011), who shared an artistic ethos and deep friendship.

Blunk, renowned for his organic, nature-inspired sculptures, and Rauh, a painter whose hallucinogenic canvases captured the joy and spontaneity of the natural world, were first introduced by British surrealist painter Gordon Onslow Ford (on whose land Blunk built the Blunk House in the late 1950s and early 1960s). The two remained firm friends for the rest of their lives.

Fast forward six decades, and Mariah Nielson – Blunk’s daughter and the director of the JB Blunk Estate – found herself unexpectedly reminded of Rauh one day when viewing the work of furniture designer Rio Kobayashi. Kobayashi, who is based in London and of Japanese and Austrian descent, was named by Wallpaper* as a future icon in 2023 following his solo show during London Design Festival – the same year he took part in the ‘100 Hooks’ exhibition at Blunk Space.

For Nielson, his meticulous craftsmanship and use of colour triggered memories of Fritz Rauh’s paintings with their dense patterns and vibrant colours. 'Because Fritz and my father were close friends, and often traded artworks, I grew up with Fritz’s paintings in our home and always enjoyed the mesmerising quality of his colours and fine marks,' Nielson reflects. 'When I met Rio and saw the beautiful furniture he was making with such detail, colour and care, I immediately thought of Fritz’s paintings and wanted to bring their work together.'

If Kobayashi's work looks familiar, that might be because you've seen it trotting the globe in recent months – he had a solo show with Kate MacGarry in London at the end of last year, showed with Blunk Space at Design Miami 2024 in December, and exhibited pieces at the Design Museum’s Enzo Mari exhibition.

Last year, the connection culminated in two informal residencies that took place at the Blunk House in Inverness, California (Blunk's former home and his daughter Mariah’s current home), where Kobayashi created a series of new works. Utilising salvaged redwood sourced from local sawyer Evan Shively at Arborica, Kobayashi crafted a table, bench, chair, and stools in JB’s workshop. His designs echo the natural forms and textures of the wood, blending modernist sensibilities with traditional Japanese aesthetics. The result is a collection of functional yet sculptural pieces that sit in harmony with the organic forms and intricate detail of Rauh’s paintings; Rauh’s brushstrokes reflected in the sinuous curves of Kobayashi's collection.

Opening on 18 January, at Blunk Space – the estate's art gallery and research centre founded in 2021 by Nielson – these new works by Kobayashi will be showcased alongside Rauh’s historic paintings in a dedicated show that invites a dialogue between past and present.

This approach of creating a conversation between old and new is something Nielson has been pursuing with great success. ‘Rio Kobayashi & Fritz Rauh’ follows on from an exhibition by Guadalajara-based designer Fabien Cappello and Oakland-based artist Lucy Stark, which featured objects and paintings inspired by time spent at the Blunk House. The format not only celebrates the legacy of JB Blunk but also underscores the relevance of the artistic conversations and friendships he fostered.

'This exhibition exemplifies Blunk Space’s mission to expand Blunk’s legacy by connecting his vital historical moment with the work of dynamic contemporary artists and designers,' the gallery explains. 'Together, Kobayashi’s furniture and Rauh’s paintings form a joyous, reverent meditation on craft and composition.'

‘Rio Kobayashi + Fritz Rauh’ runs from 18 January until 1 March 2025 at Blunk Space, 11101 CA-1 #105, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

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