80 Washington Square East, NYU

Thrones

July 12 – December 7, 2025

Broadway Windows

Thrones showcases contemporary chairs by artists, commercial producers, and furniture designers to consider the chair as a site where function, symbolism, and narrative converge. Far from being mere objects, chairs can be seen as material expressions and symptoms of the present moment. Drawing on the legacy of design exhibitions, Thrones engages themes such as bodily activities, gaming, transgression, virtuality, and appropriation, among other currents shaping contemporary culture.  

This 80WSE exhibition is organized and designed in collaboration with artist and designer Craig Redman.

In Thrones, the traditional physicality of the chair is transformed by its presentation: seen through glass windows and digital screens, it shifts from functional form to cultural artifact. This encounter simultaneously reveals and withholds, offering visual intimacy while maintaining physical distance and presenting objects once defined by touch into a mediated visual experience.

With:
Cometabolism Studio 
Cluvens
Duyi Han
Jesse Groom
José León Cerrillo
Serban Ionescu
Soft Baroque 
SR_A / Kohler
Tom Hancocks 
Wentrcek Zebulon 

Curated by Howie Chen and Craig Redman 
Ariel He, Curatorial Assistant 
Produced by Jon Huron

Special thanks to KOHLER Experience Center, New York, NY, Salon 94 Design, Jack Miner, Zaq Landsberg, and the designers and artists.


Broadway Windows gallery is a series of five street-level display windows located at the corner of Broadway and East 10th Street. The installations can be viewed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 


A orange-and-magenta striped poster announcing Thrones, a Broadway Windows exhibition at East 10th Street & Broadway (July 12–December 7, 2025), featuring artists including Cometabolism Studio, Cluvens, Duyi Han, Jesse Groom, José León Cerrillo, Serban Ionescu, Soft Baroque, SR_A/Kohler, Tom Hancocks, and Wentrczek Zebulon.
Thrones Checklist and Extended Label Publication
Press Release
NYU News
Photo: Carter Seddon
A photo showing the exterior of the Broadway Windows, with large colorful displays reading THRONES visible in the street-facing windows as people and traffic pass by.
A photo of SK Scorpion King (2025) by Cluvens, a futuristic gaming workstation designed by Jianze Zhou in the shape of a black mechanical scorpion with a built-in chair and mounted screen.
Cluvens (designed by Jianze Zhou), SK Scorpion King, 2025, Courtesy private collection.
A photo of Dancing Chair (2019) by Soft Baroque, a whimsical wooden chair with curved, arched legs and backrest that give it an animated appearance.
Soft Baroque, Dancing Chair, 2019, Courtesy Soft Baroque. 
A photo of Have a Seat – Square Stool (2020) by Cometabolism Studio, a metallic cylindrical stool encased in a square frame with bright orange straps, blending industrial and playful design elements.
Cometabolism Studio, Have a Seat - Square Stool, 2020, Courtesy Cometabolism Studio.

A photo of Male Fantasies (Butaque) (2021) by José León Cerrillo, a sculptural chair constructed entirely from interlinked dark metal chains, forming both seat and legs.
José León Cerrillo, 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴 (𝘉𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘲𝘶𝘦), 2021, Courtesy of artist and Jack Miner.

A photo of Formation 02 (2024) by SR_A / Kohler, an orange sculptural object with smooth and textured surfaces, designed as a futuristic bathroom fixture.
SR_A / Kohler, Formation 02, 2024, Courtesy of artist and Kohler.

A photo of Duyi Han’s Vitamin B12 Omega 3 Chair (2023), a light blue chair decorated with bold pink circuit-like patterns and circular motifs.
Duyi Han, Vitamin B12 Omega 3 Chair, 2023. Courtesy of artist and Salon 94 Design, New York.

A photo of Tom Hancocks’ Still from Flux (2025), featuring a futuristic metallic object with a perforated, bowl-like center surrounded by sharp vertical spikes and a transparent circular frame.
Tom Hancocks, Still from Flux, 2025, Courtesy of artist.
A photo of Jesse Groom’s Cicatrix Chair (2025), a sculptural silver-toned chair with textured, layered surfaces and a curled roll-like backrest.
Jesse Groom, Cicatrix Chair, 2025, Courtesy of artist.

A photo of Wentrcek Zebulon’s Club Chair (2021), a minimalist cube-shaped chair with a stark, geometric frame, a rough-textured and hollowed seating area.
Wentrcek Zebulon, Club Chair, 2021, Courtesy Wentrcek Zebulon.
A photo of Șerban Ionescu’s Lappis (2025), a rust-colored chair with irregularly shaped legs, a rounded seat, and a tall triangular backrest featuring a playful cut-out smiley face.
Serban Ionescu, Lappis, 2025, Courtesy of artist.