The Friedman Benda gallery in New York presents Who Owns Geometry Anyway?, the first collaboration with Adam Pendleton and the artist’s foray into the field of furniture design. The exhibition, which will be open from 7 November to 19 December 2025, brings together a collection of works made from marble, onyx, granite and wood, materials that Pendleton uses to transfer his research on geometry and visual language to the field of design.
The artist’s practice is characterised by the simultaneous articulation of expressive, minimal and conceptual elements within the same work. His approach starts with elementary shapes—circles, squares, triangles—that serve as triggers for a broader investigation into the tensions between form, meaning, and perception. From this foundation, Pendleton has developed a body of work that moves between painting, sculpture, installation, and now also furniture, establishing links between disciplines without established hierarchies.
*Left image: Courtesy of Friedman Benda and Adam Pendleton, Photography by Izzy Leung *Right image: Courtesy of Friedman Benda and Adam Pendleton, Photography by Luis Diaz Diaz
In Who Owns Geometry Anyway?, the artist transfers these principles to pieces that adopt functional typologies. The stone surfaces feature raised edges that run precisely along their perimeters, while the curved supports and polished volumes form a sequence of masses and voids. Some tables feature circular openings that introduce a spatial reading based on subtraction, revealing an interest in the relationship between material presence and formal absence. The works thus occupy an intermediate territory, capable of integrating utility and conceptual reflection.
The intervention expands into Friedman Benda’s own architectural space through ceramic paintings and geometric shapes applied directly to the walls. Two triangles—one black and matte, the other white and shiny—frame the route and act as elements that visually structure the installation, reinforcing the idea of an integral environment where the pieces are presented not only as objects, but as part of a broader spatial experience.
The project incorporates historical references, including the figure of Isamu Noguchi, who argued that art should be integrated into its surroundings. This idea runs through Pendleton’s proposal, whose pieces maintain a strong material presence while remaining open to different interpretations and relationships within the exhibition space. The installation thus prompts reflection on the permeability between disciplines and on how the languages of painting, sculpture and design can coexist without defined boundaries.
The exhibition coincides with a highlight in the artist’s career. Currently, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. is presenting Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen, an exhibition dedicated to his recent work, open until January 2027. Likewise, the Museum of Modern Art in New York has acquired the 35 works that were part of Who Is Queen? (2021–2022), consolidating the artist’s presence in one of the most important institutional collections on the international scene.
