Concrete and Steel Low Table No.9, USA

The table tops of Rurak’s Action Series Low Tables feature his unique plates of individually hand-patinated steel. The smooth surface of the steel is populated with splashes and stains, finished with oil and buffed wax and then gilded along the edges in 24kt gold. The drum shaped base of the table is an assemblage of concrete, sand, rocks, pigment and paint applied with an expressionist rigor. Gold inlaid etchings are added impulsively, completing the work.

Todd Merrill Studio began representing Brooklyn based artist Stefan Rurak in 2019. Rurak’s furniture defies conventional boundaries – merging fine art aesthetics, modern conceptual design, and traditional, hand-made craftsmanship techniques. His evocative, one-of-a-kind works are the type of collectible pieces built to span generations. Working with a variety of materials – wood, cast concrete, and steel – Rurak draws no distinction between art and design – the utilitarian becoming a canvas for his aesthetic endeavor. Each piece conveys movement, action, and intuition, providing a stark counterpoint to the meticulous construction and composition of the functional skeleton underneath. Throughout each piece is evidence of the artist at work. A cast concrete drawer face or a cabinet’s steel surface are punctuated with mark-making, fingerprints, free flowing swipes of color, all clearly bearing the hand of the artist.

Rurak’s unique aesthetic and process stems from a diverse range of media, ranging from things as conventional as drawing and painting to performance art. “The work is largely process oriented," he states, “Increasingly I became aware that the mediums I was drawn to, such as silkscreen printing and film photography were really a pursuit of a craft that relied on a skillset as well as a system of tools.”

Rurak’s work has found a strong audience with collectors and designers, and has been featured in LUXE Magazine, Surface, Interior Design, Architectural Digest, Elle Decoration, Interiors Magazine, and New York Cottages and Gardens.