CP Lighting - Christopher Poehlmann
American
Since 1985 when Christopher Poehlmann first fell in love with design while studying fine art photography in Europe, he has been singularly focused on creating artful objects for everyday use. Typically working at the intersection of Craft and Design, Poehlmann describes his focus as inhabiting the “grey area between art and craft, sculpture and design, form and function.”
Poehlmann is self trained, beginning his career with his first solo gallery show in 1990 with a body of work made from copper pipe and fittings. His work morphed over time to include found and repurposed materials and later into welding and other fabrication processes. A natural welder, Poehlmann states that is seems to be in his DNA. Whatever the process and material that interests and engages this artist, he studies it and either masters it or finds expert outsourcing to aid in executing his vision.
This drive to pursue unique and personal designs has led Poehlmann to be a trend leader. The Art vs Design continuum might be in flux, but this artist/designer has always considered building objects of use that are imbued with sculptural intent his top priority. The maker’s hand plays a strong part in much of his work. Take the newGROWTH series for instance, tree branch inspired welded aluminum light fixtures. Each object is unique, hand formed sculptures designed and fabricated by Poehlmann with the needs and desires of each client considered as a collaborative element of the work. However, Poehlmann does not shy away from technology perceiving tools such as CNC cutters as current tools of the trade and 3d printing as a new level of Craft when employed properly.
Over the past 30 years, Christopher Poehlmann has worked tirelessly across the boundaries of Art and Design. Always interested in the disciplines of Studio Craft and Industrial Design, he has staged 16 solo gallery exhibtions, been part of numerous group exhibitions throughout the country in private galleries, scholastic galleries and museums, and has had his work published in sourcebooks, magazines, newspapers and blogs worldwide. This recognition has led him to curate shows since 2003 at a variety of museums, galleries and trade shows as well as writing essays about design for show catalogs, magazines and blogs. 2017 marked his 25th consecutive year as an exhibitor at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC where he made his mark on the design world as a trend leader in the use of recycled materials as well as being a very early proponent of what we now think of as Organic Design.
Poehlmann”s work resides in the collections of The Chipstone Foundation, Vladimir Kagan, Dona Shalala, Alex van Halen, Amanda Seyfried, Corddry Family Collection, Springborne Collection, NYC Parks Department, Rehab Centers of America, Foley + Lardner Law offices, Liz Claiborne Corp, The Venetian Casino, The Lido, Weedman/ Greene Collection Sean Combs, Mamaroneck Public Library, E! Network, numerous private collections as well as stores, restaurants and clubs across the US and abroad. He served as a Trustee for The Furniture Society from 2004-2010, serving as Chair of Exhibitions. His photography work can occasionally be seen on billboards across the US as public art installations. He lives and works with his wife, two children, and two rather aloof cats in Philadelphia, PA.
