A Room on East 79th Street

Emma Scully Gallery is proud to present ‘A Room on East 79th Street,’ the debut solo exhibition from London-based artist and designer EJR Barnes premiering on Thursday, October 12, 2023.

To the tune of quiet refinement, Barnes has swiftly become known for romantic yet pragmatic works that exist in the gray area between decorative art and industrial design. Astutely self aware, his autodidactic practice functions as a sieve that nimbly distills qualities from historical styles without the bindings of a formal training. Practical, poetic, and salted with surrealism, his output is tied only to the idea of untangling the pretense of design while winking at its seriousness.

A place more than a showcase, ‘A room on East 79th Street’ has a sense of pre-nostalgia with a spatial concept akin to something you might dream up while reading magic realism. Echoing the emotional impact of interior arrangement, Barnes’ presents new works staged within the aesthetic rather than placed upon pedestals to be studied and admired. It’s the approach of a poet, or in this case, an art school dropout. “My work normally ranges from large furniture pieces to mid size, like lighting. For this show, however, I’ve looked beyond this to even smaller items like glassware and flatware, as well as textiles,” says Barnes. “I want the show to have an immersive approach, where a feeling can be imbued throughout every aspect of an interior.”