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09.11.24

Up and Coming

Carsten in der Elst Lets the Materials Lead Him Where He Wants to Go

Raw is the adjective that first comes to mind when looking at the work of German designer Carsten in der Elst. There's his Graywacke Offcut Series, for which in der Elst exclusively uses the jagged "crust" that's discarded when turning sandstone slabs into German sidewalks; his Accession chair, whose seat is formed from a sawn carpet of latex tubes resembling pasta noodles; and his ongoing Aluskin seating series, whose shells are crafted from the cast-off skins salvaged from high-precision aluminum production and whose cushions are foam remnants that puff up, lumpily, like loaves of sandwich bread. His designs feel contemporary and fresh but continue the red thread of predecessors like JB Blunk, Max Lamb, and Kwangho Lee (the former two in der Elst cites as inspiration). Like in der Elst, all of these designers seem to tease form from a material, allowing its inherent properties to lead to the final shape. 
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03.05.26

The Weekly

SPOTLIGHT: Everything We Loved at This Year’s 2026 Frieze Week in LA

Despite being in LA in February once again for my annual winter sojourn, I promised myself this year that I would finally take it easy during Frieze week, not run around so much, maybe pick three new artists to spotlight in my newsletter rather than trying to digest it all. Well, dear readers, I failed at that task — hence this extensive roundup of everything I loved.
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02.04.26

American Design Hot List

Announcing the 2025 American Design Hot List

Welcome to the 13th annual American Design Hot List, Sight Unseen’s unapologetically subjective award for the names to know now in American design. Founded in 2013, the ADHL serves as a guide to the US (born or based) talents influencing the design landscape in any given year, whether through standout launches, must-see exhibitions, or just our innate sense that they’re ones to watch. Considering we’ve recently changed almost everything else about the way we present Sight Unseen to the world, we decided to do things a little differently this year.
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