Is IKEA the next mega gallery?
An entire newsletter on contemporary art and Ikea
Last week, a PR email appeared in my inbox announcing an Ikea opening party during Miami Art Week. I don’t usually click on PR emails, but I was immediately intrigued: What is happening at Ikea! I thought it didn’t make sense for Ikea, with their low-cost homeware solutions, to host a party on the heels of Art Basel. But it makes more sense than I originally thought. Is Ikea vying to be the next mega gallery? Is it already?
Ikea is the first place many people buy art. It was the first place I did—a giant Gustav Klimt printed on canvas that I hung over my bed. I remember the popularity of a Wassily Kandinsky print of abstract circles from Ikea in the early 90s. I thought the large-scale print was the epitome of chicness. I will go on the record saying I still think it is a very chic print to have in your home.
Somewhere along the way, art at Ikea became a source of derision. “You can buy an original artwork for the same price as an IKEA print,” I’ve said many times. And it’s true. When given the option to buy directly from an artist or gallery or buy a mass-produced print, you should always go with the former. But by writing off Ikea’s art department, I missed out on the interesting case study that is contemporary art at Ikea. Even the fact that Ikea is used as the primary example in a dichotomy of buying prints versus originals shows Ikea has a monopoly on art prints.
Here’s a round-up of Ikea-related art content.
Ikea announced its first artist-in-residence in 2023. Annie Leibovitz has been travelling to the UK, Japan, the US, Germany, Italy, India and Sweden to photograph the “nuances of real life at home.” Leibovitz also states that “one of her homes” has nothing but Ikea furniture in it (the oxymoron of one of multiple houses being filled with the economic home brand is not lost on anyone). The artist residency also has a mentorship portion, with young photographers from around the world receiving guidance from the Vogue photographer.
(Image credit: Annie Leibovitz, courtesy Ikea) I like the website for the residency program. It feels very down to earth and focuses on how people live with Ikea furniture. I’ll keep you updated when and if the photographs from the series are published.
Artists in L.A. are using Ikea for their own makeshift residency program. Why not? With studio space becoming more sparse in cities, it makes sense that artists will reclaim Ikea as a third space where they can meet, collaborate, and make art. The article also notes that Ikea isn't unlike many co-working spaces, with complimentary child care, Wi-Fi and coffee, making it the perfect place to make art.
In 2022, Ikea Canada partnered with The Canadian Library to create installations that honoured thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women and children.
Image courtesy of Ikea. Ikea Art Event collaborates with contemporary artists on limited edition prints. The initiative started in 2015, and the last edition I could find was in 2021. Artists have included Adam Frezza, Daniel Arsham, Stefan Marx, and Virgil Abloh.
I loved last year’s Ikea catalogue. Curated by Office Baroque, they turned the iconic catalogue into an online exhibition that featured works by 39 artists, including Sophie Barber, Josephine Halvorson, Christopher Knowles, Kinke Kooi, and Kate Meissner.
Chambres d'Amis: IKEA Presented by Office Baroque. The new Ikea workout line launched at a party at Miami Art Week. “At IKEA, we see our designers as artists who create beautiful and functional pieces for everyday life. Miami Art Week was a perfect way to showcase our affordable and artfully designed products, proving that great design can be for the many,” said Seana Strawn, Country Home Furnishing and Retail Design Manager, IKEA U.S. The launch is more evidence of the close relationship Ikea has, or is developing, with the art world.
I’ll keep a close eye on how art at Ikea continues to evolve. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an Ikea museum or contemporary art gallery that sells 1/1s opening soon….
So cool to see that you included Office Baroque here in your blog. I worked there as an intern and it's a gallery from my hometown Antwerp in Belgium! Also, love reading your blog by the way :)