The Friedman Benda gallery will present In a Landscape, the first solo exhibition in New York by French designer Ferréol Babin. The exhibition will open to the public on 6 March 2026 and remain on view until 18 April, consolidating the creator’s presence on the international circuit of collection design and functional art.
The exhibition introduces a new body of work in which Babin explores painted furniture as a natural extension of his practice. Using wood from forests near his workshop in the French countryside, the designer establishes a dialogue between the object and the landscape, incorporating the pictorial gesture as an additional layer of material interpretation. Painting, understood as an act of improvisation, is added to the traditional processes of carving and finishing, bringing colour and texture inspired by direct observation of the natural environment.
In these pieces, the wood grain and handprints remain visible, reinforcing an aesthetic that combines material sincerity, formal clarity and artisanal sensitivity. Although painted furniture has its roots in popular traditions, its presence in contemporary design remains unusual. Babin revisits this heritage and integrates it into his own vocabulary, where the rationality of product design coexists with a more poetic and contemplative dimension.
The project also reflects the designer’s unique way of working, whose studio is integrated into his domestic space, with no clear separation between everyday life and the creative process. This proximity to the objects he produces directly influences his approach, which is geared towards creating functional pieces that accompany the user and transform the spaces they inhabit. With In a Landscape, Ferréol Babin delves into a slow and intuitive practice, rooted in place, gesture and sensory experience, in tune with the values of signature design in the contemporary luxury sector.
