Sanded to Skeletal Fragility
Recession Chair II
Client
Tjep.
Design
Frank Tjepkema
Production
Bronsgieterij Kemner, Swalmen
Edition
12 +2AP (sold out)
Sanded Down to Bare Essentials
In the shadow of the 2011 global financial crisis, Tjep. stripped an IKEA mass-produced chair to its skeletal core—a provocative commentary on recession's receding forms. The Recession Chair, from Tjep.'s 2011 furniture series, transforms everyday utility into a haunting silhouette, evoking fragility amid economic flux.
From XXL to Emaciated: Tjep.'s Recession Narrative
Building on the plump XXL Chair of 2005, Frank Tjepkema pared down the IKEA Poäng to its frame, sanding away excess to mirror shrinking markets and pared-back lives. This limited-edition piece, hand-sanded for raw authenticity, stands as a witty critique: in scarcity, beauty emerges from what's left behind.
Part of Tjep.'s Enduring Furniture Legacy
Featured in Tjep.'s recession-inspired collection alongside bronze explorations like the 2014 Bronze Age series, the chair embodies the studio's ironic take on materiality—mass-produced origins yielding artisanal introspection. Exhibited at Milan Design Week, it questions consumption in lean times, much like the layered motifs of Clockwork Love.
Tjep.'s Witty Response to Crisis
More than seating, the Recession Chair is Tjep.'s sharp satire: a throne of subtraction, inviting reflection on resilience. "Receding is the act of becoming smaller," Tjepkema notes, turning economic pinch into poetic perch.
Stripping Back to Strength
Lean yet lasting, it proves less can be profoundly more. Explore more of Tjep.'s thoughtful furniture on Tjep.com, where design meets the times.
Exhibition picture: Fetishism currated by Liedewij Edelkoort
