These twins craft whimsical, approachable sculpture. Their work is now in Charlotte

A Haas Brothers recipe: Mix together equal parts Dr. Seuss, psychedelia and children’s cartoons. Bake in kiln, then add fur, horns or gold glaze. Finish with a witty pop-culture pun for a title.

Their solo exhibition “I Saw Design and it Opened up My Eyes, I Saw Design” — a presentation of approachable, well-crafted sculpture — is on view now at SOCO Gallery.

Twin brothers Niki and Simon Haas run an art studio in Los Angeles. Currently, Niki is sculpting a wax figure to be cast in bronze, and Simon is designing plants and their fruit out of tiny beads. There are 14 people at work in the studio, which, Simon said, “functions like an art school studio space, where everybody has a degree of freedom and autonomy.”

They work in porcelain, metals, wood, fiber, marble and beads, among other things. Each sculpture requires a labor intensive, meticulous and detailed process, a fact that gets lost in the playfulness of the final product.

Their career began in the design world with highly crafted functional objects. The brothers officially started their partnership making bespoke furniture about a decade ago, working with Hollywood and design elite including Lady Gaga and Donatella Versace, according to New York Magazine and Vanity Fair. They only recently officially committed to the fine art world, which is considered more exclusive, elusive and erudite.

The move has gone well for them.

In 2018, the brothers had a large solo exhibition at The Bass Museum of Art in Miami, and this year, multiple solo and group exhibitions. Their work is in the permanent collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art, and there is more on the horizon.

They have stayed true to themselves and continue to make both sculpture and functional objects, but now they’re showing them in highly regarded art galleries and museums. Their drive is to make work that is accessible and relatable to everyone that could encounter it, no matter their background.

“We want everyone to feel included,” Niki said.

SOCO exhibit

At SOCO, the work on view is grouped by category, perched on curving shelves and joined together with brightly colored wall murals painted by the artists. Visitors are greeted by a small mound of blond hair supported by shiny bronze legs standing sentinel at the front of the gallery. It is equal parts cute and creepy.

This figure, titled “Whip van Winkle,” is from a series called Beasts, which range in size and materials but are generally composed of a giant hair ball on two legs with horns. They look like creations by Frankenstein’s kid sister, each an amalgamation of different animal parts, some cuddly, some off-putting.

The brothers said the elements of their work are chosen for symbolic meaning, not aesthetic purposes. “Whip van Winkle’s” cloven hooves, for example, connote satyrs or even the devil, and the black horns only emphasize the wickedness.

However, it is difficult to restrain yourself from reaching out to pet it. The cute factor is undeniable.

“This play of opposites and creating warmth and friendliness in typically negative or scary attributes is a big part of the message of the artwork,” Niki said. The conflicting symbols invite viewers to think about the possibilities of what they could mean.

Also on view are a group of ceramic sculptures from the series “Accretions.” These are hollow porcelain vessels covered with an intriguing texture. The word “accretion” means to gradually grow something by adding many layers.

When describing their process of creating the surface texture, the brothers said to think of how stalagmites and stalactites form in caves: drip by drip. After sculpting the the vessel from clay, the exterior is painted with slip (watery clay) over and over again, so many times that new forms emerge that look like tiny, short tentacles.

Accessible artwork

Perhaps it is because they were outsiders in the art world for so long, but the Haas Brothers are exceptionally driven to make accessible, approachable artwork that is free from the intimidation factor that often comes with fine art.

When asked to elaborate, Simon said, “We’ve felt ourselves sometimes alienated by artwork that is so concept heavy that there’s an unspoken pressure to understand it.” Niki added that connecting with audiences “gives the work longevity and an importance.”

This ambition bubbles to the surface in different ways with every work. It is in the forms they use, like the recognizable animal features; the materials, which by themselves are related more to common craft than fine art; or the punny titles, such as “Hairy Bradshaw,” the name of the chair and ottoman on view.

Despite the highly technical processes and multilayered social questions, Simon said, “We want the first impression to be fun.”

“I Saw Design and it Opened up My Eyes, I Saw Design”

When: Through Jan. 17

Where: SOCO Gallery, 421 Providence Road

Details: (980) 498-2881, https://www.soco-gallery.com/

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