The Compulsion Chair by Lara Bohinc is shown as part of “House of Creatures” exhibition at Alcova during Fuori Salone, presented by Center for Creativity and Museum of Architectre and Design (MAO), Ljubljana.
The piece draws on attachment that cannot easily be relinquished. This is a chair, and it is also the relationship between two chairs. A metal chair, cast from aluminium, is physically held within the arms of a mahogany wood chair. The mahogany chair appears to grip the other, almost obsessively, preventing it from existing independently. The two materials reinforce this dynamic: the warm, organic wood feels bodily and enveloping, while the textured metal feels cooler, more mineral - almost like another species. Inextricably bound together, they create the impression of two entities with different personalities, that are compelled into a permanent proximity.
This idea emerged from the artist’s interest in objects that behave like existential bodies, seemingly compelled to interact with other forms. By physically merging two chairs, the piece transforms a familiar, mundane form into a narrative about proximity and possession; independence and codependence.
Functionally, this arrangement complicates things. The object still resembles furniture, but its logic transcends the ergonomic to express the behavioural. The chairs are locked in a permanent embrace, which prioritises their relationship over practical clarity. In that sense, the work misbehaves, rejecting an emotional neutrality we expect from furniture, to instead declare an emotional and anthropomorphic dynamic between the two entwined objects.
The two chairs are locked in an introverted relationship, coexisting in their own small world. They remain perpetually locked within their drama of attachment.
The resulting piece expresses furniture as relationship, rather than as isolated function.
Alcova . Casa delle Suore Via Giovanni Labus 10, Milan Room C6
Monday 20th - Sunday 26th April 2026 . 11am-7pm
Alcova Press Preview . Sunday, 19th April 2026 . 9am-3:30pm
