‘Salut, Ça va, c’est moi’ glows at friedman benda
Salut, Ça va, c’est moi opened this week at Friedman Benda, filling the New York gallery with the warm glow of Carmen D’Apollonio’s newest illuminated sculptures. For this solo show, the Swiss-born, Los Angeles–based artist dots the space with playful artworks of handmade clay and blown glass, each of which shows either a drooping gesture or the imprint of the human hand. designboom visited the gallery to explore Carmen D’Apollonio’s Salut, Ça va, c’est moi, which will be on view from September 11th — October 16th, 2025.
Carmen D’Apollonio debuts new illuminated sculptures at Friedman Benda | image © Friedman Benda
carmen d’apollonio sculpts with light, clay and glass
Carmen D’Apollonio’s new work, currently on view at Friedman Benda, pushes further into material experimentation. The artist‘s ceramic bases still bear the slight irregularities of hand-building, but this exhibition introduces sculpted glass shades that catch and scatter light in unexpected patterns. It was noted at the gallery that each glass element required custom molds and weeks of slow cooling, a process that gives the finished pieces their distinctive clarity and weight. Together, clay and glass create a dialogue between opacity and transparency that unfolds with every step a visitor takes.
On the whole, the installation is like a silent performance. Lamps lean into walls, sprawl across pedestals, or hover from the ceiling, their silhouettes casting shifting reflections across the concrete floor. One piece, ‘Again I go unnoticed’, bends outward as if caught mid-breath, while the glass shade of ‘It’s All a Big Mystery’ refracts light into soft edges that draw the eye beyond the fixture itself. The effect is intimate rather than theatrical, encouraging slow looking and a sense of shared presence with the objects.
image courtesy Friedman Benda
language and emotional presence
Language is another material in D’Apollonio’s practice. Works titled ‘Why fall in love when you can’t fall asleep’ or ‘If you ever have forever’ offer flashes of humor and vulnerability, small confidences that meet the viewer halfway. ‘I like when a lamp feels like it’s talking to you,’ she says, her comment emphasizing how these pieces bridge function and personality.
Despite their sculptural energy, the lamps remain practical. The team at Friedman Benda notes that the bases and shades can easily be mixed and matched, and that the artist’s LA studio is filled with variations. Meanwhile, the wiring is discreet, and the switches are hidden but accessible. Their presence reminds us of the functional opportunities for such whimsical works of art and design.
image courtesy Friedman Benda
the exhibition introduces sculpted glass shades and hand-built ceramic bases | image © designboom
image © designboom