ART & DESIGN

A Memphis Sighting in Seoul

Just over 35 years ago, the Memphis Group, named (according to legend, though perhaps apocryphally) for Bob Dylan’s song “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again,” hosted the first, quite informal exhibition of what would soon become its trademark asymmetrical, laminate furniture and art objects. The storied Italian design firm returned during Seoul Fashion Week with an exhibition at 10 Corso Como, open through May 1. It features a selection of rare Memphis pieces that run the gamut from blown-glass carafes to tables, work spaces, and light fixtures—and even a boxing ring made Memphis with candy colors and quirky details like ombre-stained pillows. In classic (asymmetrical) armchair-traveler style, we’ve collected a few of our favorite pieces here.

1

Peter Shire’s “Bel Air,” 1981. Photo courtesy 10 Corso Como Seoul.

2

Ettore Sottsass’s “Casablanca,” 1981. Photo courtesy 10 Corso Como Seoul.

3

Masanori Umeda’s “TAWARAYA (Boxing Ring),” 1981. Photo courtesy 10 Corso Como Seoul.

4

Installation view of Ettore Sottsass’s “Carlton,” 1981. Photo courtesy 10 Corso Como Seoul.

5

From left: Michele De Lucchi’s “Polar,” 1984, “Kristall Table,” 1981, and “Flamingo Table,” 1984. Photo courtesy 10 Corso Como Seoul.

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From left: Ettore Sottsass’s “Tahiti,” 1981, and “Ashoka,” 1981; Michele De Lucchi’s “Oceanic Lamp,” 1981; Martine Bedin’s “Super,” 1981. Photo courtesy 10 Corso Como Seoul.