Sitting is an everyday action – and at the same time a cultural act. Seating structures spaces, shapes postures, invites us to linger, or signals distance. The exhibition “STAY – Textile Seating Objects” at the X-D-E-P-O-T of the Pinakothek der Moderne is dedicated to sitting and, from February 25, 2026, presents ten experimental designs by students of the Textile Product Design program at the Kassel School of Art and Design, under the direction of Prof. Ayzit Bostan.
Image above: Helena Bals, FARFALLA (Detail), 2026, 100% Ocean Bound Polyester, BioFoam Pearls, Edelstahl. Photo: Fabian Frinzel
At the heart of the project is the textile seating surface as an independent design element. Textile materials possess unique qualities: they respond to the body and movement, create atmosphere, and convey a sense of closeness, comfort, or excitement. Beyond their purely functional aspects, they can evoke emotional, spatial, and aesthetic effects. These potentials form the starting point of the design process.
The students engage intensively with historical and contemporary seating furniture from the collection of the Neue Sammlung (New Collection). These objects do not serve as models in the classical sense, but rather as references and starting points for their own research questions. What role does material play in relation to the body? How do construction, surface, and textile techniques alter the perception of sitting? And how can new forms of use be conceived?
The design process includes material and technology research, conceptual experiments, and the development and implementation of prototypes. This resulted in seating objects made from various materials such as felt, leather, and metal.
Foto: Fabian Frinzel
STAY presents these works at X-D-E-P-O-T as a snapshot of an open design process. The exhibition reveals how young designers, with curiosity, precision, and a spirit of experimentation, are renegotiating the relationship between body, material, and space – and shows sitting as something that goes far beyond simply taking a seat.
Regular collaborations with educational institutions such as universities are of central importance to Die Neue Sammlung. This is because Die Neue Sammlung aims to promote discourse on current issues and topics with students in a practical setting and make this accessible to the museum’s visitors.
Ayzit Bostan is a designer and artist living in Munich. Since 2012, she has been a professor of textile product design at the Kassel School of Art and Design. In 2023, Ayzit Bostan received the Design Prize of the City of Munich.
Curated by: Polina Gedova, Angelika Nollert
WHEN?
Exhibition dates: Thursday 26. February – Sunday 29. March 2026
Opening: Thursday, 25. February 2026, 7:00 pm
WHERE?
Pinakothek der Moderne, X-D-E-P-O-T
Barer Straße 40
80333 München
