Twin brothers Nikolai (Niki) and Simon Haas (American, b. 1984) share a distinctive voice. Each imaginative, expressive piece they create—whether a chair, vase, table, tapestry, or otherwise—is characterized not only by a focus on texture and material innovation, but also by its sculptural, often anthropomorphic form. Their work provokes response. It is confrontational and humorous, discomforting and playful, exploring themes of nature, sexuality, psychedelia, and social equity. Underlying their aesthetic is an emphasis on material and technical experimentation, born out of an insatiable curiosity and years spent studying stone carving under their father, artist Berthold Haas. Brass, marble, ceramic, and fur are presented as fluid, supple, stalactite-like, and expressive forms.
