SHANTELL MARTIN (B.1980)

Togo Sofa

textile on foam

27 x 51 x 40 inches (68.6 x 129.5 x 101.6 cm)

Executed in 2020.

PROVENANCE:

Shantell Martin Studio, Los Angeles

EXHIBITED:

New Britain Museum of American Art, NEW/NOW: Shantell Martin, October 2020-April 2021.

LITERATURE:

"Connecting Words and Lines: An Interview with NEW/NOW Artist Shantell Martin," NBMAA 2020 Summer Newsletter, 2020, p. 10 (illustrated).

NOTES:

This one-of-a-kind “Togo” sofa features Martin’s characteristic hand-drawn illustrations and stream-of-consciousness text across a vivid red textile. Produced in 2020, this piece transforms a modern design icon into a vibrant canvas, merging functionality with personal storytelling and visual rhythm.

This is a one-of-a-kind piece made up of two collaborations between the artist. First, Shantell collaborated with Momentum Textiles in 2018 to create the upholstery. Second, she collaborated with Ligne Roset to re-imagine with this new upholstery the classic Togo seating collection which was first designed by Michael Ducaroy in 1973.