Dozie Kanu

Raw, intriguing, sexy—Dozie Kanu’s work represents a paradigm shift in art and sculpture.

Dozie Kanu’s designs channel notions from disparate influences into pieces that open our sense of what’s possible. His work is a form of alchemy: scavenging and reworking Houston rap and Nigerian culture through bricolage and ready-made methods, he reforms familiar cultural codes into objects that twist our sense of reality.

In his table collection for Knoll, Dozie Kanu has taken a typically static object and turned it into an animated experience. Steel rods are paired with smooth, taut leather and leather fringe. It’s sexy and performative; the tassels moving with the slightest stimulation, giving fleeting glimpses of objects underneath or adjacent. The taut leather top and hanging tassels echo the language of touch. “It’s not decoration,” says the designer. “It’s a formal expression of exploration and desire.”

Nigerian-American Dozie Kanu was raised in Houston, Texas and grew up around rap culture and the city’s slab car scene. The latter—a world of customization, shine, and individuality—shaped how he sees design and taught him that materials and form can express identity. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts, New York, in 2016 and was awarded the Humblot Design Prize in 2018. Working from his studio in Santarem, Portugal, Kanu practices at the intersections of sculpture, performance, and fine art.

Dozie Kanu in conversation with Knoll Creative Director Jonathan Olivares.