Built In

The Neutra VDL Studio and Residences is a National Historic Landmark and house museum committed to cultivating education, architecture, art, and culture that strengthen the facility’s mission as a community resource. Furthering Richard Neutra and his wife Dione’s legacy, the VDL is a platform for the exchange and exploration of ideas in art and architecture. The VDL is committed to uphold the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion to foster a barrier-free, respectful, and welcoming learning and working environment. Photography Courtesy of Erik Benjamins Curated by Erik Benjamins and Heidi Korsavong and Benjamin Critton of Marta Gallery, with organizational support of the Neutra VDL House under the directorship of Noam Saragosti. A History of Frogs, Brody Albert, BC, Charlap Hyman & Herrero, Misa Chhan, Jeremiah Chiu, Fiona Connor, Emily Endo, Escher GuneWardena, Andrew Thomas Huang, Nancy Kwon, L.A. Door, Lakes, Jason Lipeles & Janet Solval, New Documents, Kyoko Oshiro, PapiBoyBabyBoy, Mina Park & Kwang Uh, Emma T. Price, Alex Reed, Rest Objects, Candice & Darren Romanelli, Nancy Stella Soto, Stock-A-Studio, Arden Surdam, Terremoto, Three Sheep & Bob Dornberger, and TOLO Architecture. Neutra VDL is pleased to welcome visitors back to the house on behalf of 'Built In', a group exhibition of newly-created, site-specific works that richly engage the built-in architectural and historic elements of the VDL House (1932 / 1965). Showcasing work by 32 artists, designers, architects, and creative practitioners, 'Built In' celebrates the possibilities inherent to residential programming by inviting exhibition participants to dialogue with various structures intrinsic to the residence. Built-ins are the unmoving opposites of freestanding furniture. Designed as permanent elements of the interior architecture of a home, they whisper of both universal and personalized programmatic intention long after their moveable siblings have been swapped-out, updated, or relegated to storage. Invitations to respond to these sites and phenomena that elegantly punctuate the VDL House have prompted a collection of alternately present and receding works, variously arranged among, sensitive towards, fitted atop, responsive to, informed by, encased in, suspended from, and rested upon these built-ins. To honor the unique challenges and privileges of place-specific artistic response, the curators have invited participants within and around the Los Angeles area. While this cohort is unified by geography, they represent a staggeringly diverse array of creative practices and aesthetic languages. The resulting works celebrate the built-in as a generative platform for creative response in ways that are materially and spatially-aware, sensorially-engaged, functional, and poetic. 'Built In' is organized by artist and writer Erik Benjamins in tandem with art and design gallery Marta, each of whom have long valued and explored domestic spaces, objects, and rhythms within their respective practices. They are thrilled to work closely with VDL Director Noam Saragosti, who began his first year of stewardship at the onset of the COVID–19 pandemic. This exhibition will be the first that is viewable in-person after over a year-long hiatus. A History of Frogs, bug-egg-eye-ear Tokonoma for the Neutra VDL House PapiBoyBabyBoy, Flipped Flipper Numbers Candice Romanelli (Ceramics) Darren Romanelli (Plantings) Cambell’s (Vessels 1 – 11) Three Sheep & Bob Dornberger, Heron (Sarah Lorenzen & Peter Tolkin) The Frank Lucian Neutra Memorial Bench Studio Furniture (Neutra VDL) Sheet Objects (Light, Stash Box, Vase) Puzzle No. 3 (for Neutra VDL House) Jason Lipeles & Janet Solval Stack Piece (All Senses), Two bars of Dr. Bronner’s citrus-scented soap, The Library of Mr. and Mrs. Neutra Mina Park & Kwang Uh, Untitled Rest Objects, Untitled (Pill Boxes) Nancy Stella Soto, Leisure Uniform Emma T. Price, Baguetti Bambino Broadcast URL (www.dublab.com/archive/jeremiah-chiu-dione-and-her-own-space)