Chris Wolston's ‘Nalgona’ merges human anatomy with the ergonomics of chairs

“Humour and liveliness are inherent to my practice. Humour serves as a conduit for generating dialogue with the material,” states American artist and designer Chris Wolston. He designs an intriguing collection of wicker chairs that serve as a tangible embodiment of his ideology. The artist has created a seating collection dubbed Nalgona in his Medellín studio in Colombia. The materiality and craftsmanship of the chairs pay tribute to the abundant tradition of mimbre, or wicker, and the rich cultural tapestry that defines South America's artistic landscape. This collection is the creative union of ergonomics and anatomy. Wolston creates a combination that skillfully combines the practical form of a chair with the elegant curves of a human body. Every chair design has its own version of 'arms' and 'legs' that strike a dynamic stances that conjure a vibrant feeling of life and movement.

Using traditional weaving methods, Colombian mimbre is used to produce the Nalgona collection. Amid the verdant vistas of the Colombian Amazon, Wolston sets out to find the best wicker, carefully chosen to capture the spirit of this unique area. Forming a collaboration with local Medellín weavers, this creative voyage materialises as a cultural tapestry woven into every chair. Wolston starts the process in his studio by sculpting rough clay chair forms. He then draws up the final design in blueprint form and welds a frame to weave the wicker into. After which, skilled weavers with decades of experience gradually bring each body part to life, row after row, detail by detail. “I am grateful for the experienced team I work with locally and that I am able to work with such a unique material,” shares Wolston. The outcome of this collection is intricate, appealing, and innovative pieces that bring a sense of humour and allow the user to stop taking themselves so seriously.

The goal of the Nalgona collection is to provide the creative domain of movement and physicality with a tangible language. Wolston, who is inspired by the rich craftsmanship history of the region, creates these chairs as works of art, rather than furniture. He combines the functionality of furniture design with a sense of fun and playfulness resulting in designs that are unique, extraordinarily humane, and intriguing. “The Nalgona Chairs--a series of wicker seats--emerged from this dialogue as sybaritic totems of mortal form and craftsmanship,” explains Wolston. The chairs are a body of work that is a juxtaposition of soft and strong while maintaining a technical sophistication. Wolston's sculptural chairs are living illustrations of a harmonic synthesis between nature, craftsmanship, and design, all artfully woven together inside the delicate waltz of limbs and materials.