Studio Job MAD HOUSE is the first American solo museum exhibition of the work of collaborators Job Smeets (Belgian, b. 1970) and Nynke Tynagel (Dutch, b. 1977), who established their atelier, Studio Job, in Antwerp in 2000. Since then, they have developed a distinctive body of highly expressive and opulent work, characterized by pattern, ornament, humor, and historical, sociocultural, and personal narrative.
Smeets and Tynagel draw inspiration from an itinerant education, traveling throughout Europe and studying important historical collections of art and decorative arts. Their commitment to craftsmanship reflects an ongoing interest in the revival of traditional applied arts practices, such as bronze casting, gilding, marquetry, stained glass, and faience, but with a contemporary approach. The atelier operates in the manner of an Old Master artist studio by engaging the skills of the most talented artisans in the production of their work.
The interdisciplinary nature of Studio Job’s oeuvre makes it difficult to categorize. Their work is deliberately provocative and unconventional, giving them the reputation of enfants terribles of the art and design world. This exhibition will feature a variety of media and forms, including art objects, furniture, sculpture, lighting, interiors, and wall and floor coverings in an immersive installation conceived by the artists uniquely for MAD.
Studio Job MAD HOUSE is organized by the Museum of Arts and Design’s Marcia Docter Senior Curator, Ronald T. Labaco, with Project Managers Riva Arnold and Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy.
Major support for Studio Job MAD HOUSE is provided by Marian C. Burke and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the Official Airline of MAD.
Additional support is generously provided by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York as part of the Dutch Culture USA program; Swarovski; Creative Industries Fund NL; Marcia and Richard Mishaan; Amy Gold and Brett Gorvy; and the Director's Circle and the International Council, two leading Museum support groups.
MAD gratefully acknowledges the in-kind support of Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Exposize, NLXL, and Chamber.
