One of the things I love most about New York is how you can encounter art anywhere — even while shopping. For example, inside the Alexander Wang flagship store in SoHo, you’ll find a sculpture by John Chamberlain, one of the most recognizable American sculptors of the 20th century.
Though, to be honest, I only pretended to go shopping — I really came to see the artwork.
Metal That Dances
Chamberlain made his sculptures from crushed car bodies. At first glance, they look like piles of scrap metal. Look again, and they become explosions, collisions, raw energy frozen in form. Look closer still, and you start to see rhythm, balance, and an almost musical sense of motion. His metal dances — sometimes violently, sometimes gracefully.
You can find Chamberlain’s works in major modern art museums, including MoMA and the Guggenheim, and he even has an entire hall dedicated to him in Marfa, Texas. But the sculpture in SoHo feels different — it’s intimate, accessible, almost touchable.
The Aesthetics of Speed
Alexander Wang, an American fashion designer of Taiwanese descent, was born in San Francisco and studied in New York. He once served as Creative Director of Balenciaga, but today he’s fully focused on his own label.
The brand’s SoHo flagship isn’t just a store — it’s a design statement. This year, it underwent its fourth redesign, inspired by the engineering beauty of car engines. Everything here speaks of movement: sleek chrome, flowing lines, cold metallic gleam, and sensuous geometry. The whole space hums with energy — as if the interior itself were idling at high speed.
New York Energy in Twisted Metal
At the center of this gleaming environment stands Chamberlain’s sculpture. In an interview with Vogue, Wang said that having an original Chamberlain piece in his store was a dream come true. He first saw it at a Gagosian exhibition, later at auction — and now it anchors the entire space.
Compressed New York energy lives within those twisted sheets of metal, reflected in the mirrored walls and metallic surfaces around it. Everything here is about precision, motion, and rhythm.
The store’s design was created by Kramer Design Group in collaboration with Ryan Korban, seamlessly merging two worlds: fashion and sculpture, polish and power, style and steel.
📍 Alexander Wang Flagship Store in SoHo / 103 Grand St, New York, NY
