'Stella and Maris' Armchair and Stool

'Stella and Maris' are handmade chair and stool produced in Nuno felt and combining hand-woven wool, linen and silk fibres. Very comfortable, welcoming and soft to the touch, 'Stella and Maris' is a unique set and incarnate the physical, terrestrial character of life. More than a textile piece, this set looks like it is breathing and is completely alive. Dimensions are as follows: H 120 x L 85 x D 80 cm for the chair and H 50 x L 100 x D 48 cm for the stool.

Renowned for her ‘Soma’ light sculptures, notably included in the Met collection, Ayala Serfaty has been developing a collection of seats since 2010. Each is a unique piece hand-produced in her workshop in Tel Aviv. “I started out with felt when I went to a Joseph Beuys exhibition in London in 1985. Now I produce it myself. I was trained as a painter and for me, the value of felt – historically, culturally, and artistically – means that I can treat it like a painting or a sculpture. First, I sculpt the polyurethane foam over the metal structure. Next I figure out the shape of the garment so that it will totally cover it. I don’t cut a piece of fabric – I make the entire cover in one piece. Each one is unique, and with no fitting. I make the colors I need, mixing silk with wool and linen in different percentages”.

Ayala Serfaty has exhibited in museums and galleries internationally. Her solo shows have included venues such as Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and Museum Beelden Aan Zee, Den Haag, Netherlands. She has participated in group shows in venues including Herzliya Museum of Art in Israel, London Design Museum, Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York, Staatliches Museum für Kunst und Design in Nuremberg, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg and Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Works by the artist are included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Mint Museum in Charlotte, USA, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, USA, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.