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AS SEEN IN galerie magazine
Artist Doug Meyer Crafts a Whimsical Line of Hardware for Modern Matter
OCTOBER 2024
American Rhapsody translates the creative’s affinity for vibrant colors and playful forms into a dynamic assortment of pulls
By Jill Sieracki for Galerie Magazine
Multidisciplinary Doug Meyer conjures wild and whimsical works that far exceed the boundaries of sculpture and experiential art. The Kentucky native burst onto the scene with a groundbreaking solo show, “BOD,” that incorporated music by Donna Summer, strobe lighting, peephole dioramas, and a disco-era velvet curtain. However, it’s his stirring 2014 Heroes Project that celebrated creatives lost during the AIDS epidemic that cemented his place in the art world.
His colorful output mines the depth of imagination—his vibrant portrait “cameos,” exuberant sculptures, and playful furniture layer a multitude of materials like wood, plaster, resin, and plexiglass with unexpected elements like glass eyes, turquoise, or malachite to dynamic effect. So naturally, when creating a collection of functional objects, there needed to be more than a dash of frivolity as well.
Newly launched, his assortment with Modern Matter, American Rhapsody, taps into the expressive hues often seen in his artwork. “I always like to design something that in some strange way tells a story,” he says.
From his studio in Hudson, New York, Meyer crafted pulls, knobs, and desk accessories broken into four subsets, each influenced by a different period or movement in America. Available in only three finishes—polished nickel, polished brass, and burnished brass—the array takes familiar shapes like the traditional bat wing and reimagines it with an eye-catching injection of pink, yellow, or green. “To me, color is one of the most transformative things you can do to an object,” he says.
Fallingwater Ceramic Pull from the Doug Meyer + Modern Matter collection, American Rhapsody.
Bat Wing Chroma Powder Coated Pull from the Doug Meyer + Modern Matter collection, American Rhapsody.
Standouts from the collection include the Fallingwater Pull—a chunky bar with glazed ceramic facade that pays homage to the famed Frank Lloyd Wright design—and the cheeky "X" Enamel Pull Set and "O" Enamel Pull Set , bisected shapes in a tropical turquoise or summery green. “The idea behind the X and O knobs comes from my love of taking recognizable shapes and applying color to them,” he tells Galerie. “I am of the school that color can transform even the simplest object into something that has presence and meaning.”
The most artful assortment is the Sherwood Forest pieces—a patinated brass bar, letter opener, or magnifying glass enhanced with turquoise pattern inspired by the artist’s love of nature. The latter is also embellished with the phrase “Objects May Appear Larger Than They Are.”
“I am of the school that color can transform even the simplest object into something that has presence and meaning“
Sieracki, J. (2024, October 16). Artist Doug Meyer crafts a whimsical line of hardware for Modern Matter. Galerie Magazine. https://galeriemagazine.com/doug-meyer-modern-matter/
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