The majority of Bauhaus furniture designs are now produced by three companies: Knoll International, Tecta and Thonet. In addition to the originals, there are faithful reproductions and licensed re-editions. There is also a large market in unauthorised copies and free imitations. This is where the work of artist Jun Yang comes in. He is interested in both the treatment of the Bauhaus legacy and the broader issues of authenticity, originality and interpretation in industrial design. The focus is on fetishes, the status of copies and pirated versions, and how different versions preserve the idea, material, design and substance.  

Until 2 February 2025, Jun Yang is presenting a special selection of Bauhaus furniture pieces from various origins in his exhibition ‘More than Real’ at the Bauhaus building in Dessau. The selection shows a variety of interpretations in terms of construction, use of materials and attention to detail. “Modern design classics, collectors’ items, luxury goods and industrial mass taste,” says Jun Yang, “this is the spectrum that interests me. The ‘Tobias’ cantilever chair in transparent plastic and chrome is available at Ikea for €89.99. At XXXLutz you can find cantilever chairs from €29.90 to €289, in imitation leather, woven fabric or Vienna weave, to ‘dine in style’!  

Yang, who was born in China in 1975 and emigrated with his family to Austria in 1979, has chosen various locations in the building to showcase the collection. Alongside the classics and their variations, there are also exciting new designs to discover, such as those by Kerstin Bruchhäuser and Katrin Greiling for Tecta. In close collaboration with Tecta, the Bauhaus Museum Café has also been furnished with red B40 chairs and D4 folding chairs by Marcel Breuer. Films give an insight into the production process at Tecta and show how much the manufacturing process has remained a craft to this day.