Faye Toogood’s ‘Assemblage 7’ arrives at Friedman Benda
British designer Faye Toogood returns to New York with her latest exhibition, Assemblage 7: Lost and Found II, marking her fourth solo show with Friedman Benda. Originally previewed in Los Angeles in 2022 and at Chatsworth House in 2023, Toogood’s acclaimed body of work explores the interplay between materials and time. This New York premiere, on view from January 11th until March 15th, 2025, reveals new aspects of her creative process through two key materials: English oak and Purbeck marble.
Faye Toogood is known for her ability to reinterpret classical forms and references from art history, using diverse mediums such as sculpture, furniture, and fashion. Her works have cemented her as a leading figure in contemporary design, with pieces like the iconic Roly-Poly chair (2014) gaining international recognition. Toogood’s approach combines the familiar with the avant-garde, creating pieces that feel at once timeless and modern.
installation view courtesy Friedman Benda and Faye Toogood | photo by Izzy Leung
the evolution of the artist’s ‘assemblages’
Artist Faye Toogood’s career is punctuated by a series of thematic works known as Assemblages. Each represents a distinct exploration of ideas, materials, and forms. Her first collaboration with gallery Friedman Benda, Assemblage 5, was inspired by Henri Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence and explored elements such as water, earth, and the moon. In Assemblage 6, she sought to break away from traditional design methods, building a new vocabulary for furniture using everyday materials.
Assemblage 7: Lost and Found II is a personal investigation into the concepts of loss, reworking, and reclamation. Focusing on two materials — English oak and Purbeck marble — Toogood investigates British craftsmanship and material heritage. Both materials are historically significant: oak has long been a staple in British construction, while Purbeck marble, a rare limestone, has been quarried since antiquity. Each piece in the exhibition showcases the unique qualities of these materials, with oak finished using the traditional shellacking technique, and Purbeck marble hand-carved to reveal its natural stratigraphy.
portrait of Faye Toogood, Assemblage 7 process | photo © Geneiveve Lutkin
exploring materials as an ‘archaeological dig’
In this latest iteration, Assemblage 7, Faye Toogood approaches sculpture more closely than ever before. Each piece began as a clay model, with Toogood likening the process of working with oak and marble to an ‘archaeological dig,’ where ancient material memories emerge as contemporary forms. The pieces, titled Plot, Cairn, Barrow, Hill, Hoard, and Lode, evoke the sense of discovering lost places and forgotten elements. Toogood’s work evokes a feeling of excavation, uncovering something ‘prehistoric’ that has been hidden from time.
With Assemblage 7: Lost and Found II, Faye Toogood once again challenges traditional design boundaries, hybridizing the old with the new. The transformation of traditional oak and Purbeck marble, lends a reimagining of history through a modern lens, giving shape to pieces that bridge the gap between the past and the present.
‘Assemblage 7’ process | photo courtesy Friedman Benda and Faye Toogood
‘Assemblage 7’ process | photo courtesy Friedman Benda and Faye Toogood
‘Assemblage 7’ process | photo courtesy Friedman Benda and Faye Toogood
‘Assemblage 7’ process | photo courtesy Friedman Benda and Faye Toogood
‘Assemblage 7’ process | photo courtesy Friedman Benda and Faye Toogood
‘Assemblage 7’ process | photo courtesy Friedman Benda and Faye Toogood
project info:
exhibition: Assemblage 7: Lost and Found II
artist: Faye Toogood | @t_o_o_g_o_o_d
gallery: Friedman Benda | @friedman_benda
location: 515 W 26th St 1st Floor, New York, NY
on view: January 11th — March 15th, 2025
photography: © Izzy Leung, Geneiveve Lutkin