Japanese design firm nendo has brought their 50 Manga Chairs exhibit across the pond from Milan to New York. The manga comic-inspired stainless steel chairs are currently on display at Friedman Benda in the Chelsea gallery district, accompanied by a light installation. 

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The exhibit's Milan set-up.

The environment of Friedman Benda New York varies greatly from the chairs' open setting in Milan. During Milan Design Week, the chairs were displayed in an outdoor courtyard, spaced far apart and arranged in a large square. In New York, the chairs are in a contained space, placed closer to each other and have a graphic light show backdrop.

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Seeing the exhibit up close was refreshing because some of the chairs' meticulous details were difficult to appreciate from far away. Each chair is meant to reflect a different emotion—the close proximity of the chairs really let their personalities shine and allowed them to interact with one another.

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At first, the light show felt distracting. However after a few minutes, it was clear how much thought went into the placement of the lights—there was a lot of shadow play between the light beams and the thin stainless steel pieces coming off of the chairs, which made for a calming and beautiful mirror effect.

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nendo: 50 Manga Chairs closes on October 29, 2016—visit before it's too late!