Berkeley-based artist Rafi Ajl explores the tension between structure and spontaneity through a new series of sculptural furnishings that blur the line between function and poetics. Working in wood, metal, glass, and stainless mesh, Ajl constructs objects that honor the grid—an emblem of order—while embracing rupture and variation. Chairs, tables, and cabinets become platforms for engraved markings, patinated surfaces, and unexpected material pairings, inviting a meditation on the rituals of daily life. These pieces resist convention not only through form, but through the quiet insistence of presence—each an invocation of utility, containment, and creative possibility.

Ajl’s practice is rooted in experimentation and material fluency, guided by a reverence for process and imperfection. Trained as a designer and fabricator, he approaches making as both inquiry and ritual—employing traditional craftsmanship alongside improvisational techniques. Whether hand-engraving aluminum or soldering metal mesh at points of tension, his work reveals a deep sensitivity to the physical behavior of materials. Each piece is both resolved and open-ended, a gesture in a system always evolving.