Sean Gerstley

Superhouse is thrilled to open its downtown Manhattan space, Superhouse Vitrine, with a solo show of new ceramic furniture and lighting by artist Sean Gerstley. This is Gerstley’s first solo show and his second time exhibiting work with Superhouse.

With Tile Block, Gerstley explores how ceramic can be incorporated into living spaces at a larger scale, outside of decorative objects and utilitarian tableware. Gerstley was inspired by the architecture of Superhouse’s gallery, stating: “The space is like a large display case with glass walls, and the works are arranged as examples of typical furniture you would use in a domestic setting. It is like peering into someone’s living room.”

The pieces on view introduce new forms and formal elements to the artist’s body of work, such as extruded clay tubes. One of the highlights of the show is Gerstley’s massive surfboard-shaped coffee table, formed from candy-colored tile blocks in his characteristic irregular shapes and set atop dappled legs in contrasting hues. Visitors to Superhouse Vitrine will also find a pair of polychrome glazed ceramic mirrors in different geometric shapes along with nesting tables with cylindrical legs. The latter debuts Gerstley’s experimentation with an industrial extruder, a new tool in the artist’s practice.

Gerstley’s tile blocks start with a base of American red earthenware clay to which he adds grog for texture. He then forms slabs with this clay mixture and adds coiled walls and pinched edges. Firing the wet clay at higher than normal temperatures enhances the tile blocks’ durability. In the final step of the process, Gerstley paints the tile blocks and extruded elements with custom glazes that often go on in matte grays and whites that only reveal the sumptuous colors and glossy surfaces for which Gerstley is known when the kiln is opened.

Superhouse Vitrine will allow founder Stephen Markos to continue his popular digital platform’s innovative programming IRL. The space, located in what Vogue recently called a “diamond-in-the-rough mall” in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood, will house a program of solo and group shows focusing on emerging and established art furniture and design. While joining a host of other galleries in the mall and surrounding neighborhoods, Superhouse Vitrine will be one of few solely showing design. “Vitrine” emphasizes the space’s glass wall architecture and will allow visitors to view exhibitions even outside of open hours.

“My goal with the programming at Superhouse Vitrine is to not only offer emerging and established creatives a new platform in the city, but also to offer collectors visiting the booming gallery district something unexpected,” says Markos.

Sean Gerstley is a Delaware-born, Philadelphia-based artist and designer. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design's ceramic program, Gersley’s interest in sculpture and interior spaces is translated using clay as his primary medium. Working from his home studio, Gerstley has created a ceramic world of slab and coil built forms with pinchy surfaces and unique glazes, often bursting with color. The artist debuted his first series of tile block furniture with Superhouse in 2020 and has continued to experiment with the form leading up to his solo show with the gallery, Sean Gerstley: Tile Block. Gerstley has shown at Emma Scully Gallery, Air Mattress Gallery and the 99cent Plus Gallery. His work has been featured in numerous publications including Architectural Digest, Artforum, Sight Unseen, Elle Decor Italia and Dwell.

Superhouse is a New York-based platform and nomadic gallery founded in 2019 by Stephen Markos with a focus on art furniture and design. In addition to presenting IRL and digital exhibitions, Superhouse provides online programming including daily content, special events, and designer interviews with the likes of Gaetano Pesce and OrtaMiklos. Following its 2020 inaugural in-person show, Super Group, which highlighted work by 50+ global contemporary creatives, Superhouse exhibited historically important works from the Radical period of Italian design in a widely-recognized 3D experience, Different Tendencies. In Fall 2021, Superhouse Vitrine will open in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The 10 x 10-foot space will offer a series of solo and group shows with existing and new creatives in Superhouse’s roster. Superhouse has been featured in numerous publications, including Architectural Digest, Dezeen, Elle Decor Italia, Interior Design, New York magazine’s Design Hunting, The Design Edit and Sight Unseen.