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The Wabi-Sabi philosophy sculpts Ethan Stebbins’ exhibition at Les Ateliers Courbet
The Ethan Stebbins exhibition at Les Ateliers Courbet
Image: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet, Photographed by Joe Kramm
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The Wabi-Sabi philosophy sculpts Ethan Stebbins’ exhibition at Les Ateliers Courbet

The New York-based design gallery revels in the flawed beauty of natural materials expressed in master stone carver and wood crafter Ethan Stebbins’  furniture designs.

by Anushka Sharma
Published on : Oct 28, 2022

In the reckless hunt for the unattainable and elusive idea of perfection, a crucial question challenges the blind chase: are perfection and beauty synonymous? Although popular beliefs and preconceived notions put flawlessness on a pedestal, the ancient Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi begs to differ. Wabi-Sabi, a worldview that centres around acceptance of transience—of beauty and the associated ideas—and imperfections, finds a home in the recent collection of furniture designs by Ethan Stebbins, a master stone carver and wood crafter based in Maine, United States. The ensemble is unveiled in Stebbins’s solo exhibition at the New York-based gallery Les Ateliers Courbet, on view from September 22, 2022, to October 29, 2022. The show unveils five unique, large-scale pieces—an organic bibliothèque sculpture, a side table, an asymmetrical Wabi Sabi coffee table, and a sculptural bed frame and bench—hand-crafted by the artist in collaboration with the Chelsea gallery. “My work mainly relies on paying close attention to the organic matter’s properties,” says Ethan Stebbins.

The Ethan Stebbins exhibition embodies the Wabi-Sabi philosophy
The Ethan Stebbins exhibition embodies the Wabi-Sabi philosophy Image: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet, Photographed by Joe Kramm
Five unique pieces are highlighted in the exhibition
Five unique pieces are highlighted in the exhibition Image: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet, Photographed by Joe Kramm

Guided by the natural landscape surrounding his studio in coastal Maine, Stebbins thoughtfully selects tumbled stones from the coast. These rocks are then hand-cut and chiselled without losing the character of their natural surfaces. The Japanese culture of appreciation and humility, and the Wabi-Sabi philosophy inform his instinctual techniques. The simple forms that revolve around the unworked, raw material embrace the natural edge and textures of the rock. Stebbins plays with the possibilities of the two mediums—wood and stone—through the traditional Japanese sculpture techniques of subtraction with minimalist joinery. “One must appreciate the individual characteristics of a certain wood or stone type before shaping them and joining the two together,” he explains. In the resultant organic forms, the material's innate character outweighs the rest of the composition. The sculptural furniture exudes elegance and simplicity, and embodies the meticulous work and reverence for natural materials expressed by the American artist. “There is a rather special moment when you carve– a quiet, flashing moment when the natural character of the stone reveals itself. This moment is everything,” shares Stebbins.

All designs are handcrafted by Ethan Stebbins
All designs are handcrafted by Ethan Stebbins Image: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet, Photographed by Joe Kramm
The designs employ  tumbled stones from the Maine coast
The designs employ tumbled stones from the Maine coast Image: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet, Photographed by Joe Kramm

Stebbins’ work reflects the ethos of traditional Japanese craftsmanship and draws influence from the principles of Japanese-American furniture designer George Nakashima who stated that “the purpose is usefulness with a lyric quality.” The series is a culmination of the artist’s ongoing dialogue and creative collaboration with the design gallery's founder Melanie Courbet. The Wabi Sabi day bed is handcrafted by the American stone carver using Japanese time-honoured techniques of interlocking joinery without any hardware support. The bed is a composition of American ash and pine wood with northern coast stone. The Wabi Sabi coffee table showcases a sleek wooden top made from black walnut resting on a colossal rugged north coast granite stone. Donning similar materiality, the Wabi Sabi bench reiterates the dialogue of wood and stone narrated by their grooves and joints.

The Wabi Sabi coffee table
The Wabi Sabi coffee table Image: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet, Photographed by Joe Kramm
The pieces showcase a dialogue between wood and stone
The pieces showcase a dialogue between wood and stone Image: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet, Photographed by Joe Kramm

The wooden planks of the Wabi Sabi bibliothèque sit comfortably between the blocks of stone that taper as the assembly ascends towards the sky. There is an interdependency between the materials that shines through as the elegant wooden components and the bulky rocks structurally uphold and visually complement each other. The Wabi Sabi sculptural side table stands out owing to its uniform materiality. Sculpted from a single chunk of Maine granite stone, the monolithic table design appears as if it was crafted by the hands of nature. Another bench design titled the Wabi Sabi Dovetail bench also features in the ensemble. The wooden seat perfectly fits into the grooves carved in supporting stone blocks, emphasising the precision and attention to detail that went into its creation.

Stebbins uses Japanese techniques of interlocking joinery without any hardware support
Stebbins uses Japanese techniques of interlocking joinery without any hardware support Image: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet, Photographed by Joe Kramm
Each rock is carefully carved without losing its raw character
Each rock is carefully carved without losing its raw character Image: Courtesy of Ateliers Courbet, Photographed by Joe Kramm

Stebbins discovered his passion while training as a stonemason in 1997. He then honed his skills in stonework while pursuing apprenticeships under master gardener Masahiko Seko and American master craftsman Chris Tanguay. In addition to his stonework and furniture design, Stebbins is a poet whose work has been widely published. The Ethan Stebbins exhibition brings the artist’s distinctive approach to the forefront while upholding Les Atelier Courbet’s creative tenets. His artistic language highlights poetry as well, the poetry of untouched beauty, of materials intertwining, and of the visual vocabulary that ensues.

The Ethan Stebbins exhibition will be on view from September 22 to October 29, 2022 at Les Ateliers Courbet, New York.

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