Artist and designer Misha Kahn’s furniture and lighting feel less like objects you own and more like creatures you coexist with — and once you've seen them, you'll never look at a chair the same way again. What most people don't know about Misha: he was given a sewing machine at age five, and started making clothes. That instinct to fabricate something from nothing, using whatever material is at hand — foam, fiberglass, glass, metalwork, cement, textiles — has driven him from that childhood bedroom all the way to the Whitney, the Walker Art Center, and the Dallas Museum of Art. In this episode, Misha joins host Alexandra Fairweather on one of John Chamberlain's foam couches — and if you've ever wondered whether the things around you could hold more beauty and more meaning, this conversation is for you.

Follow our host: https://www.instagram.com/alexandrafairweather/ 

Follow our guest: https://www.instagram.com/mishakahn/ 

Stay up-to-date with the John Chamberlain Estate:

• Follow the John Chamberlain Estate: https://www.instagram.com/johnchamberlainestate/ 
• To learn more about the work and mission of the John Chamberlain Estate, visit: https://www.john-chamberlain.com/ 
• Media inquiries: chamberlain@dadagoldberg.com

Tune in to episodes of ON THE COUCH via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, YouTube, or wherever you prefer to stream.

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Timestamps: 

00:27 Introductions 

02:37 Growing up in Minnesota 

05:13 Creating playgrounds

7:07 The “parallel wonderland” of Misha’s work 

9:49 Misha’s greatest virtue and vice

10:34 Avoiding labels and boxes in your art

14:19 The personality of Misha’s work

15:33 Lessons learned from collaboration 

17:35 Upcoming projects 

20:06 Using robots in the studio

24:37 Post-apocalyptic art 

28:37 The chaos inside Misha’s studio 

29:57 Legacy and posthumous impact 

33:54 What’s too much for Misha? 

36:25 Lightning round begins

38:15 Outro

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