American architects Neil Denari and Brian Murphy are part of an exhibition of architect-created artworks presented at Emeco House, coinciding with this week’s Frieze Los Angeles art fair.
Including photographs, paintings, collages and sculptural furniture pieces, the Architect’s Art exhibition highlights different facets of the creative practices of notable Los Angeles-based architects.
Other exhibitors include Olin McKenzie, Jennifer Siegal, David Turnbull and Kulapat Yantrasast.
Emeco has put on the Architect’s Art in Los Angeles
“We are friends and fans of so many architects whose impressive professional work we get to see around LA and the world,” Emeco CEO Gregg Buchbinder said. “However, we rarely get to see what goes on in their brain when not directed toward these buildings.”
“What we wanted to do was peek behind and see the creative brain spinning on its own,” he added.
The 1940 sewing shop located in Venice Beach, California, functions as a residence, office and events space, serving as the American furniture producer’s West Coast outpost.
Architect Neil Denari showcased notebooks full of drawings
Brian Murphy exhibited paintings he created using pencil and acrylic paint. According to Murphy, he started painting and drawing when in architecture school as an alternative to cost-prohibitive model making.
“To be creative as an architect can be an indulgence,” Murphy said. “For me, painting is a pressure release valve.”
“As an architect painting, I am always adding in things like the shadows, the power lines, the outlets,” he continued. “Show the context. Don’t pretend it’s not there. It can make it look more or less real to show it, but it’s contextualized.”
Brian Murphy showcased paintings, many of which emphasise shadows
Neil Denari presented drawings he’s created since 1990 using a B5 format Maruman Notebook and a Pilot Razor Point or NIJI Stylist black pen.
“I consider the work under the term drawing, which is accorded a different status than the sketch in architectural production and design processes,” Denari said.
“While the sketch is usually understood to be of the moment, improvisational, possibly intuitive, and open ended, my notebook drawings overlay precision, craft (some take even a few days of discontinuous work), and graphic organization with the aura of a technical illustration.”
According to him, these drawings let him explore ideas, not develop or explain upcoming architectural projects.
Kulapat Yantrasast showcased a chair made of stones and metal
Atopia Research director David Turnbull also displayed sketches. Olin McKenzie of SOM showcased photographs of the spaces, patterns and buildings he comes across in different cities.
“For a long time, I have been fascinated with the creative practice of pairing different photos together,” McKenzie said. For him, it’s the most straightforward type of collage.
“I love that these forced marriages spur on an open-ended conversation between two disparate images,” he said.
“The pairings ignite a flurry of perceptive tickles: initially unrelated, their partnership quickly proposes unexpected connections, fleeting narratives, formal compliments and affinities.”
Dozens of sketches by David Turnbull were laid out on a table
Office of Mobile Design founder Jennifer Siegal exhibited collages she made using various materials and techniques including mylar tape, flattened plants, newspaper and letterpress-applied oil-based ink.
While Kulapat Yantrasast, of WHY, placed his Terroir Chair on a metal plinth.
Collage-like works by Jennifer Siegal feature tape and other materials
The one-off sculptural furnishing was created using stones collected over time on a beach where an unidentified family vacationed for many years.
The design is intended to be a memorial to a family member who passed away.
Max Radford Gallery presents furniture by emerging designers at Collect 2026
Emeco House was established in 2022 by Buchbinder and his daughter Jaye Buchbinder, Emeco vice president of sustainability.
Jaye Buchbinder said that the personal expression of the architects was an important piece of the exhibition.
“The creative expressions of these six architects are formed separately from their professional achievements and have inspired us to reflect upon how we think and what we make,” Jaye Buchbinder said.
Architects having art practices is a time-honoured aspect of the field. Frank Lloyd Wright created two-dimensional works and Le Corbusier created tapestries and paintings.
Architectural illustrations created in the process of building creation have also come to be considered works in themselves.
The photography is by Patricio Hernandez-Ysasi.
Architect’s Art was on view at Emeco House from 25 to 27 February, 2026 in Los Angeles. For more up-to-date events in architecture and design around the world visit Dezeen Events Guide.