Sarah Burns, Prairie’s Edge
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Contact & Details

Sarah Burns
Prairie’s Edge
May 06 – June 10 2023

Rec Rooms

Marta is honored to present Prairie’s Edge, the inaugural solo exhibition of work by artist and designer Sarah Burns. Named for the Minnesota casino frequented by Burns’ grandmother, this presentation of nine furniture explorations is a deeply personal study of autobiography and the varied typologies of American craftsmanship.

Each display—organized loosely in so-called Room Groups that recall those in her parents’ Midwest furniture store—reflects the artist’s interest in traditional materials (ex. wool, glass, birch, steel, cotton) used in unlikely complement. Every choice is an impish yet refined reimagining of the formal qualities of the home space, imbued with the warmth of memory and its attendant emotional landscapes. This odic investigation allows for the expression of Burns’ simultaneous concerns of narrative and function: Knob Screen operates as a spatial determinant while also acting as an armature for material explorations of privacy and non-privacy; Coastal Mirror, inspired by the side-view mirrors on tractor-trailer trucks, swivels open to re-present or absorb its surrounds; Party Table gives new meaning to flipping-the-table, variously inviting community or solitude based on its configuration.

The seamless integration with which the artist combines elements of function and gesture speaks to the larger treatment of her works in space, specifically their expression of the environments they inhabit and reflect. In Prairie’s Edge, Burns is able to evoke the material atmosphere of a roadside diner or family rec room with transportive precision: We are ensconced in a vinyl booth, our feet resting on bright linoleum tiles; the shouts of lively competition echo as we challenge our loved ones to best-two-out-of-three. The works on view offer up a third space beyond Labor and Rest, their convertibility suggesting something like Recreation. The intimacy and sincerity with which Burns practices her craft translates to a highly developed sense of joy-in-necessity, leading us to delight in her quest for earnest utility.

Sarah Burns (b. 1987, Willmar, MN) is a New York-based artist and designer. She holds a BFA from the University of Minnesota and an MFA from Parsons’ The New School. In the recent past, she has worked with Nate Berkus, Marc Camille Chaimowicz, Rachel Comey, Giancarlo Valle, and Ghislaine Viñas. This is her first solo exhibition.

View press coverage of Sarah Burns’ Prairie’s Edge via Architectural Digest, MiLK Decoration, Sight Unseen, and Wallpaper*

Works

Sarah Burns
Benchetti, 2023
Birch Plywood, Birch Bentwood
34.0 × 27.25 × 30.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Benchetti (Upholstered), 2023
Birch Plywood, Birch Bentwood, Wool, Cotton
34.75 × 27.25 × 30.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Benchetti (Upholstered), 2023
Birch Plywood, Birch Bentwood, Wool, Cotton
34.75 × 27.25 × 30.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Benchetti Sofa, 2023
Birch Plywood, Birch Bentwood, Custom Steel Fasteners
34.0 × 81.75 × 30.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Cap Stool (Upholstered), 2023
Cold Rolled Steel, Wax, Brown Mohair, Silk Cord
19.5 × 13.5 × 13.5 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Cap Stool (Upholstered), 2023
Cold Rolled Steel, Wax, Green Wool, Silk Cord
19.0 × 13.5 × 13.5 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Cap Stool / Side Table, 2023
Cold Rolled Steel, Wax
17.5 × 13.0 × 13.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Two Day Bed, 2023
Birch Plywood, Chenille, Silk Cord
29.75 × 90.0 × 86.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Tube Chair, 2023
Steel, Rubber
33.75 × 16.5 × 23.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Studio Prop (Punctum), 2023
Cold Rolled Steel, Wax
18.0 × 3.75 × 4.25 in.
Unique

Available

Sarah Burns
Knob Screen A, 2023
Steel, Birch Plywood, Marmoleum, Pencil on Cotton
Panel 1: 68.0 × 30.0 × 8.0 in.
Panel 2: 76.5 × 30.0 × 8.0 in.
Panel 3: 68.5 × 33.0 × 8.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Knob Screen B, 2023
Steel, Pencil on Cotton, Birch Plywood, Marmoleum
Panel 1: 90.0 × 30.0 × 8.0 in.
Panel 2: 57.5 × 51.0 × 8.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Ruffle Sconce A, 2023
Steel, Waxed Cotton, Lighting
12.0 × 15.0 × 3.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Ruffle Sconce B, 2023
Steel, Waxed Cotton, Lighting
12.0 × 15.0 × 3.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Dealer’s Box, 2023
Walnut, Cast Plastic Tray
2.75 × 4.25 × 5.5 in.
Unique

Available

Sarah Burns
Game Table, 2023
Birch Plywood, Linoleum, Steel, Powdercoat, Cast Plastic Cups
28.0 × 32.0 × 32.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Jumbo Table Lighter, 2023
Steel, Wax, Felt, Lighter
4.5 × 5.0 × 5.0 in.

6 week production time

Available

Sarah Burns
King Kutter Party Table, 2023
Birch Plywood, Marmoleum, Leather, Custom Steel Hardware, Cast Plastic
As Chair: 52.5 × 48.0 × 25.0 in.
As Table: 28.25 × 48.0 × 48.0 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Napkin Lamp (Green), 2023
Pine, Enbamel, Glass, Steel, Lighting
14.0 × 11.0 × 3.5 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Napkin Lamp (Gray), 2023
Pine, Enamel, Glass, Steel, Lighting
14.0 × 11.0 × 3.5 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Napkin Lamp (Red), 2023
Pine, Enamel, Glass, Steel, Lighting
14.0 × 11.0 × 3.5 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Napkin Floor Lamp (Green), 2023
Pine, Enamel, Glass, Steel, Lighting
48.5 × 11.25 × 6.5 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Napkin Floor Lamp (Gray), 2023
Pine, Enamel, Glass, Steel, Lighting
48.5 × 11.25 × 6.5 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Napkin Floor Lamp (Red), 2023
Pine, Enamel, Glass, Steel, Lighting
48.5 × 11.25 × 6.5 in.

Available

Sarah Burns
Coastal Mirror, 2023
Rubber, Mirror Glass, Steel, Birch
23.0 × 16.0 × 6.5 in.
Edition of 5 + 1 AP

Available

Marta

Marta is a Los Angeles-based, globally-engaged art gallery. Founded in 2019, the gallery makes space for artists to experiment with the utility of design, and for designers to explore the abandonment of function. Marta’s curatorial and publication programs take interest in the process of a work’s creation as well the narrative of its creator(s). Marta embraces the intersection of and the transition between disciplines, advocates for diversity in design, and promotes broad access to the arts.