MISHA KAHNS SLIMY WORLD

Misha is acclaimed for his one-off textures and bizarre structures. His furniture and sculptures look like they have beamed in from an alien planet to the pristine galleries where they are typically shown. It stands out as excitingly unusual work amongst hyper-polished and over-produced pieces that are the mainstays of contemporary art fairs. With this exuberant flair Misha is creating a system of objects that form the slimescape and in their finish, embrace “the Tim Burton-esque DIY costume-making spirit” of Halloween.

Slime is simultaneously nostalgic and contemporary. It is reminiscent of GAK and Nickelodeon while hitting on a current slime craze. Dozens of YouTube accounts with millions of viewers are dedicated to a DIY slime-making culture. The videos are mysteriously mesmerizing. So are the   processes and objects Misha is creating.

In the labyrinth of his studio, every corner is alive with a component of the event, or a material experiment. A neon pink DJ booth in the shape of giant drips is drying underneath huge multi-colored lamp shades which look like melting ice cream. Dripping shot glasses sit waiting to be glazed and fired in the kiln perched in the back. Ottomans with cast resin legs are being welded and 3D “slime” fabric is being woven, from scratch, to cover them. A trial recipe of fuchsia slime jiggles in a Tupperware and glowing “jumbo hydro beads,” a Chinese product used to keep plants moist, are growing from pebble-sized beads into squishy peach-sized balls in a tub of water. A tactile jungle, everything is tempting to touch. So I do.

Misha is enjoying himself, laughing and joking as he turns on an inflatable slime blob, that wiggles gently with the air. Misha describes this project as “An excuse to do things in a different way and try materials in ways that we never have.” The objects reflect his energy. They are strange and fun and trippy, and even crowded into the studio, they generate an ambiance of Halloween.