80 Artists and Designers Reimagine a Midcentury Touchstone — The Ashtray

Last year, when New York gallerists Patrick Parrish and Zoe Fisher came together to form Fisher Parrish Gallery, they did so by way of the paperweight. In their continued celebration of once obsolete archetypes, they’re back at this week with an exploration of another simple sculptural desk object: the ashtray. With smoking and its accoutrements regaining prominence in both law and design, it’s the perfect canvas for these times. From functional and studied to wild and evocative, the works from more than 80 contemporary artists and designers play with a deeper understanding of the object. Eric Timothy Carlson turns an unfurling orange peel into a delightful swirl of bronze; Chen Chen & Kai Williams assemble various stones in “Rock Pile”; Thaddeus Wolfe turns colored glass into an array of spongelike orifices; and Misha Kahn’s tilework looks like a serpentine creature with the title “My boyfriend smoking by the window late last night instead of having sex with me.” The exhibition is on view until September 9; if you don’t already, you might even be tempted to pick up smoking (cannabis, duh) again.

Top: Kristen Wentrcek & Andrew Zebulon

PHOTOS BY CLEMENS KOIS