With Degree Shows Cancelled, A Stockholm Museum Offers Students the Chance to Show Their Work

So many aspects of the professional design world went virtual this year — from design fairs and conferences to product launches and DIY workshops. But imagine for a second what it was like for the students — finishing thesis work at home rather than using the school facilities, being subject to virtual crits, and having no place to physically show work. With this in mind, the Stockholm-based Möbeldesignmuseum — which was founded in February 2018 by collectors and design world insiders Kersti Sandin and Lars Bülow — decided to create a platform for final year students from Beckmans, HDK-Valand, Konstfack and Malmstens. Called Ex-Works, the exhibition features work by 23 designers from the four schools, and the curated works are uniformly strong. Some of our favorites include a chunky red wood number by Johan Ansander, a fiberglass and wool chair by Australian designer Andrew Watts (yes, another carpet chair!), a seat made from recycled ocean plastic by Anton Kreü, and a coffee table with some serious woodgrain action by Moa Sjöberg.