Artist and designer Misha Kahn’s furniture and lighting feel less like objects you own and more like creatures you coexist with — and once you've seen them, you'll never look at a chair the same way again. What most people don't know about Misha: he was given a sewing machine at age five, and started making clothes. That instinct to fabricate something from nothing, using whatever material is at hand — foam, fiberglass, glass, metalwork, cement, textiles — has driven him from that childhood bedroom all the way to the Whitney, the Walker Art Center, and the Dallas Museum of Art. In this episode, Misha joins host Alexandra Fairweather on one of John Chamberlain's foam couches — and if you've ever wondered whether the things around you could hold more beauty and more meaning, this conversation is for you.
Follow our host: https://www.instagram.com/alexandrafairweather/
Follow our guest: https://www.instagram.com/mishakahn/
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Timestamps:
00:27 Introductions
02:37 Growing up in Minnesota
05:13 Creating playgrounds
7:07 The “parallel wonderland” of Misha’s work
9:49 Misha’s greatest virtue and vice
10:34 Avoiding labels and boxes in your art
14:19 The personality of Misha’s work
15:33 Lessons learned from collaboration
17:35 Upcoming projects
20:06 Using robots in the studio
24:37 Post-apocalyptic art
28:37 The chaos inside Misha’s studio
29:57 Legacy and posthumous impact
33:54 What’s too much for Misha?
36:25 Lightning round begins
38:15 Outro