Bio / Chris Ferebee, 1971
Difficult to pigeonhole, Chris Ferebee is a self-taught visual artist, photographer, graphic designer, musician and furniture/product designer freely working in constant exploration across those disciplines.
Ferebee has designed award-winning, internationally recognized furniture designs and his work has been included in many books on the subject including the prestigious design annual, International Design Yearbook; The Design Encyclopedia (Museum of Modern Art); Ultimate New York Design, and Bent Ply: The Art of Plywood Furniture.
His work has been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Milan, Copenhagen and Cologne. His designs have also been sold through major auction houses such as Sotheby's, Wright Auctions, and Los Angeles Modern Auctions. Most recently his Hive Shelving Unit prototype was acquired by the Carnegie Museum of Art for their permanent collection and is currently on view in the 'Extraordinary Ordinary Things' exhibit.
Throughout the 1990s-2000s, Ferebee was represented by the stock photo agencies Photonica / Getty Images, and Graphistock, where his distinctive photographs had been published by a diverse client list including Apple, Microsoft, Sony Music, Knopf Publishing, Bank of America and American Express. A number of his fine art photos were featured in several early issues of the groundbreaking music + culture magazine Ray Gun, under the direction of the iconoclastic graphic provocateur, David Carson.
Ferebee continues to focus on various facets of art and design including guitar design & rendering with his brand, Futura Guitars. He lives and works in Norfolk, VA.
For artwork pricing, commissions, design and branding inquiries, or any other info, please contact.
Statement
Growing up in a home filled with a diverse assortment of visual stimuli set the groundwork for my thirst for aesthetics, design, and history.
My parents had amazing collections and hand-selected objects that they curated and decorated with - rock specimens, sea shells, fossils, airplane and ship models, antique pieces and tons of books on every subject. Drawing from these influences, I explore areas of popular culture, natural history, memory and place through synthesized & layered found images, typographic-based works, and experimentation with various materials and found objects.
Being self-taught with a background in visual art, graphic design, photography, furniture design and music allows me to experiment freely and discover new ideas and unique ways of approaching a piece from an "outsider's" perspective, blurring the line between art, craft, and design as each informs the other in my working process.
In much of my work I'm drawn towards vintage imagery of the 1950s and 60s, artifacts of advertising and print culture, and celebrating playful optimism within that aesthetic. I also explore more somber subsurface cognitive areas through intuitive-based image creation. Ultimately, in a world that often feels less and less optimistic, the aim of my work is "optimizing for optimism" through playful experimentation and exploration of cultural iconography, color, and materials.
Bibliography
2019 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions February 17, 2019 Modern Art & Design Auction catalog
2018 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions February 25, 2018 Modern Art & Design Auction catalog
2017 - Wright | Design, 8 June, 2017 auction catalog
2016 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions May 22, 2016 Modern Art & Design Auction catalog
2015 - Wright | Design, 22 October, 2015 auction catalog
2015 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions 'October 11, 2015 Modern Art & Design Auction' catalog
2013 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions 'May 19, 2013 Modern Art & Design Auction' catalog
2013 - The Design Cookbook: Recipes for a Stylish Home, by Kelly Edwards
2012 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions 'May 6, 2012 Modern Art & Design' auction catalog
2009 - Fashioning Felt, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
2009 - Bukowski's Auctions 'Contemporary & Modern Autumn Sale 2009' catalog
2007 - Sotheby's 'Important 20th Century Design' auction catalog, June 2007
2006 - Ultimate New York Design, teNeues
2006 - Young Designers Americas, Daab
2006 - Communicating With Pattern: Stripes, RotoVision
2005 - International Design Yearbook 20, Abbeville Press/Laurence King
2005 - The Conran Shop 2005-06 Furniture Catalog
2004 - The Design Encyclopedia, MoMA/Laurence King Publishing
2003 - Bent Ply: The Art of Plywood Furniture, Princeton Architectural Press
2003 - International Design Yearbook 18, Abbeville Press/Laurence King
2002 - Furniture Design, teNeues Publications
1995 - The End of Print: The Graphic Design of David Carson, Chronicle Books
1994 - Graphis Alternative Photography 95, Graphis Press Corp.
Art Exhibitions (Group shows)
2010 - 5x7 2010, Arthouse, Austin, TX
2009 - 5x7 2009, Arthouse, Austin, TX
2007 - 5x7 2007, Arthouse, Austin, TX
2005 - 5x7 2005, Arthouse, Austin, TX
2005 - Texas Biennial 2005, Eastside Artists Coop, Austin, TX
2004 - "The Big Show" juried exhibition, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX
2004 - "Mix Minds" group show, Barbara Davis Gallery, Houston, TX
2003 - "Night of 1000 Drawings", Artists Space, NYC
2003 - "Young Designers Showcase", Clockwork Apple, NYC
2001 - "New Design New York", Totem Gallery, NYC
1998 - Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, d'Art Center, Norfolk, VA
1995 - Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, d'Art Center, Norfolk, VA
1994 - Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA
Awards & Notable
2019 - Hive Shelving Unit prototype acquired by the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburg, PA
2006 - Hive Shelving nominated for the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum's ‘People's Design Award’
2005 - Included in the International Design Yearbook 20, edited by Marcel Wanders
2003 - Included in the International Design Yearbook 18, edited by Karim Rashid
2001 - Design Distinction Award : I.D. Magazine's Annual Design Review 2001
2000 - Good Design Award, Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design
1998 - Award of Distinction, Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, d'Art Center, Norfolk, VA
1994 - Award of Merit, Mid-Atlantic Juried Exhibition, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA
Furniture Exhibitions, Auctions, Etc
2021 - (ongoing) Extraordinary Ordinary Things, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburg, PA
2019 - Bend it Like Breuer: Modern Plywood of the 20th Century, R & Company, NYC
2018 - Wright | Art + Design, July 19, 2018 auction, Chicago
2018 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions February 25, 2018 Modern Art & Design Auction, Los Angeles, CA
2018 - Wright | Art + Design, January 18, 2018 auction, Chicago
2017 - Wright | Design, June 8, 2017 auction, Chicago
2016 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions May 22, 2016 Modern Art & Design Auction, Los Angeles, CA
2015 - Wright | Design, 22 October, 2015 auction, Chicago
2015 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions October 11, 2015 Modern Art & Design auction, Los Angeles, CA
2013 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions May 19, 2013 Modern Art & Design auction, Los Angeles, CA
2012 - Los Angeles Modern Auctions May 6, 2012 Modern Art & Design auction, Los Angeles, CA
2010 - American Design in Paris, Triode Design, Paris
2009 - Fashioning Felt, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, NYC
2009 - Bukowski's Auctions, Contemporary & Modern Autumn Sale 2009, Sweden
2007 - Sotheby's June Auction of 'Important 20th Century Design', NYC
2004 - 100% Design, London
2004 - Scandinavian Furniture Fair, Copenhagen, Denmark
2004 - IMM - Cologne Furniture Fair, Cologne, Germany
2003 - Regeneration, re:place studio, NYC
2001 - New Design/New York, Totem Gallery, NYC
2001 - Carrefour de la Creation, Centre Pompidou, Paris
2001 - T.A.G. Team curated by *Surface Magazine and Totem Design, Milan + NYC
2000 - ICFF International Contemporary Furniture Fair, NYC
Editorial
Contemporary Collage Magazine #6, 2025
Eye Magazine 108, 2025
Plastikcomb Magazine No. 8, 2024 / interview
Contemporary Collage Magazine #38, 2024
Plastikcomb Magazine No. 7, 2024
Plastikcomb Magazine No. 6, 2023
Audi Magazine - Dec. 2012
Elle Decoration, Czech Republic, winter 2010
HOME - France - Oct. 2008
The Wall Street Journal - June 23, 2007
Elle Magazine - UK - April 2006
Urbis - New Zealand - April 2006
Virginia Living - July 2005
Dwell - June 2004
Readymade - May 2004
Azure - March 2004
Architectural Record - March 2003
Monument - Australia / Aug.-Sept. 2002
Nylon - May 2002
Studio Voice - Japan - March 2002
Clear - Feb. 2002
Case Da Abitare - Italy / Jan.-Feb. 2002
I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review 2001
Intramuros - France - Dec. 2001
Azure - Nov.-Dec. 2001
City Magazine - Sept.-Oct. 2001
Design Diffusion News - Italy / Oct. 2001
City Magazine - March-April 2001
H.O.M.E. - Germany / May-June 2001
Surface* - Issue #29 2001
Brutus - Japan / NYC Issue 2000
Raygun Magazine 29 - Sept. 1995
Raygun Magazine 20 - Oct. 1994
Raygun Magazine 14 - March 1994
Raygun Magazine 13 - Feb. 1994
archive / Web & Social features
stefan sagmeister IG, Jan. 2024
stefan sagmeister IG, July 2022
moco loco IG, Jan. 2017
knoll IG, Sept. 2016
moco loco IG, April 2016
leicacraft IG, June 2016
moco loco, Jan. 2015
the typologist, Oct. 2014
artnet, 2013
designboom, May 2013
swiss miss, June. 2011
designdir, Oct. 2010
apartment therapy, Sept. 2010
happy mundane, June 2010
nytimes mag, Jan. 2010
archiscene, May 2009
detnk, Feb. 2009
daily icon, Feb. 2009
yatzer, Feb. 2009
designlines, Aug. 2007
core77, June 2007
josh spear, June 2007
notcot, June 2007
cool hunting, June 2007
moco loco, June 2007
the apartment, March 2007
coudal partners, March 2007
netdiver, March 2007
swiss miss, Feb. 2007
sensory impact, Jan. 2007
hustler of culture, Oct. 2006
apartment therapy, Jan. 2006
design*sponge, Jan. 2006
designspotter, 2005
2modern, Oct. 2005
moco loco, Sept. 2005
design*sponge, Feb. 2005
moco loco, Feb. 2005
design*sponge, Dec. 2004
