By Myung Jin Lee

Jim Lambie has transformed chairs into artwork.

Lambie, an artist who tries to use architecture in his artwork, presents his new exhibition, titled “RSVP: Jim Lambie,” at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Saturday through May 25, 2008.

“It is a non-traditional exhibition,” said Amelia Carignan, an MFA spokesperson.

The exhibition is open at the first floor lobby in front of the MFA shop and the caf’eacute;. A group of chairs are displayed on the first floor Galleria wall of the MFA.

“This is an exhibition which [brings a] social place and art together,” Carignan said.

Lambie’s installation is part of the RSVPmfa series. RSVPmfa is an invitational series featuring rising stars in contemporary art. Every two years, the MFA invites the artist to open the exhibition. It started in 2000 and Lambie is the third artist on display.

Lambie uses several kinds of transformed chairs in his exhibition. Some were sliced, painted in pulsating colors and covered with broken mirrors. Other chairs were colorful and had objects attached to them.

He used turntables and daily items like duct tape, speakers, doors, clothing and mattresses in his work.

“The conceptual basis for the piece was there in my head, and the conceptual base in terms of the materials I wanted to use was there, but then for the art part of it I had to run about for two days gathering materials up and work out the best way to put those materials together,” Lambie said.

Lambie decorated the white wall with black duct tape. Duct tape was used to transform the beautifully curved line on the wall to represent a musical image.

“He is very interested in space and how people interact with the space. He also transformed the music as feeling rather than hearing it and put it into his work,” said William Stover, the curator of Lambie’s exhibition.

The curved lines, which are made of duct tape, create harmony with not only his chairs but also chairs in the caf’eacute; and the trees on the first floor.

“If the work isn’t made entirely in the space, it’s put together in the space,” Lambie said.

The organizers said Lambie’s work would interest college students.

“A lot of college students will love this work because it is part of [what] they know,” Stover said. “Chairs and music are everyday objects, so, I am sure everyone will like it.”