Shiro Kuramata

Kuramata (1934-1191) applied traditional Japanese aesthetics with innovative materiality in 1970's and 80's Japan. He created a sense of floating and transparency, using industrial materials, acrylic, steel mesh, aluminum, and glass. His designs seem to break free from gravity, and are similarly boundless in terms of identity, by merging categories such as Japanese or Western, minimalist or postmodern. Kuramata's obsession with ephemerality is evident in his furniture (see photos below), as is his fascination with western culture and the postmodern experimental playfulness of Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis group.  http://www.shirokuramata.com/