First impressions at Naples’ PDA Gallery this season reveal postmodernism’s contemplative side. While the movement conjures riotous colors and forms (which PDA has plenty of), their 2025 exhibits show how visionaries like Shiro Kuramata challenged convention through subtle subversion. From precise cabinets to space-bending chairs, these pieces prove revolutionary design can whisper as effectively as it shouts.
Courtesy PDA/Ashlee Fleming
Sofa with Arms by Shiro Kuramata for Cappellini (1982)
Courtesy PDA/Ashlee Fleming
Chaise Miss Wirt by Philippe Starck for Disform (1982)
Courtesy PDA
Fare Vase Round by Gaetano Pesce for Meritalia (2009)
Courtesy PDA
Botryoidal Ceramic Table Lamp by Forma Rosa Studio (2023)
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Courtesy PDA/Ashlee Fleming
ORSOLA SOFa by Gastone Rinaldi for Tacchini (1970)
Marking the transitional period for Italian design in the 1970s, when artisanal techniques started courting industrial production, Orsola challenged expectations for seating. With its plump, rounded cushions and visible steel frame, the piece juxtaposes softness and rigidity—a common tension in postmodernism. After falling off the radar for nearly 50 years, Tacchini’s reissue of Orsola in 2021 reaffirmed the sofa’s timeless appeal.
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Courtesy PDA
Frankie Chair by Jordan Mozer for Jordan Mozer + Associates, Ltd. (2007)
When the Houston’s South American restaurant Américas River Oaks shuttered in 2020, the Mahigels dashed to reclaim pieces from its eye-popping interiors. Chief among the treasures were works by Chicago’s Jordan Mozer, who the couple describes as ‘criminally underrated.’ The Hugging Booth and Frankie Chair, a piece blending Kevlar and glass-reinforced resin, showcase hand-carved forms cast in high-tech materials for furnishings that are sculptural, surprisingly inviting, and durable enough for high-traffic environments.
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Courtesy PDA
Hugging Booth by Jordan Mozer for Jordan Mozer + Associates, Ltd. (2007)
Courtesy PDA/Ashlee Fleming
Butterfly Floor Lamp by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Flos (1982)
Courtesy PDA/Ashlee Fleming
Ombra armchair by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina (1953)
Courtesy PDA/Ashlee Fleming
Wanders’ Tulip armchair by Marcel Wanders for Cappellini (2010)
Courtesy PDA/Ashlee Fleming
Furniture with Drawers vol.2 No. 5 by Shiro Kuramata (1970)
Courtesy PDA
Roots Coffee Table by Jader Almeida for Sollos (2013)
Courtesy PDA/Ashlee Fleming
Hop Settee by Toshiyuki Kita for Wittman (1988)
Courtesy PDA
Seconda Chair by Mario Botta for Alias (1982)
Courtesy PDA/Dario Borruto
East of the Sun by Shigeru Uchida (1995)
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Courtesy PDA
Witch chair by Tord Boontje for Moroso (2004)
Postmodernism’s evolution from pure provocation to rich narrative-building finds full expression in Tord Boontje’s Witch. Part of a seven-piece series for Moroso, each representing a different character you might meet in a storybook, the chair’s exaggerated textures and spectral silhouette evoke images of witches’ brooms and magical woods. Where earlier postmodern works challenged conventions through materials or form, this 2004 piece shows how the movement matured to embrace narrative complexity. The sincerity and mysticism in the piece set it apart from the humor and maximalism often associated with postmodernism, making it an outlier within the genre—and a highly collectible piece.
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Courtesy PDA/Ashlee Fleming
L’uovo Lamp by Shigeru Uchida for Yamagiwa (2003)
Deceptively simple in its ovoid form, Shigeru Uchida’s L’uovo lamp contains multitudes. Its ethereal shape echoes Japanese design principles of ma (negative space) and yūgen (subtle profundity); the form updates traditional paper lanterns with contemporary materials; and its translucent surface diffuses, rather than shines, light to foster a contemplative atmosphere. One of Yamagiwa’s most significant pieces—the 4 -foot-tall large version limited to fewer than 10 examples—L’uovo represents Japanese minimalism’s evolution from pure reduction to meaningful dialogue between light and space. “We try to bridge people’s understanding of why this is art and why it’s important,” Mike says. “It’s art with utility.