Apr 19, 2008 12:49 pm US/Central
IKEA Merchandise Inspires Local Artist's Works
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ―
As a consumer, Chicagoan Jason Salavon has had the experience of putting together the sleek furniture of popular retailer Ikea.
As an artist, he'd rather break the Scandinavian company down.
Salavon has created a collection of works inspired by the home furnishings chain whose stores offer everything from build-it-yourself sofas to Swedish meatballs.
The influence isn't always obvious.
One of the centerpieces of Salavon's current exhibition in Columbus, Ohio is a softbound booklet with nothing but blocks of colors in different patterns.
It's the artist's version of the Ikea store catalog.
Another piece projects a living room scene onto a panel. Through computer morphing, the Ikea-inspired furnishings slowly shift styles and colors over the course of two hours.
The 37-year-old says his art generally puts pop culture archetypes through computer permutations to smear them out into their root patterns.
Duplicates of some pieces will be displayed at the Art Chicago 2008 contemporary art expo.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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