230522 • Made by Choice Product Launch Image 28 by Chris Coe © 2023 — Photo by Chris Coe © 2023

Artist Projects

Matthew Day Jackson Unveils New Rainbow Lounge Chair

Designed in Collaboration with Made by Choice

Published Friday, Jun 2, 2023

Artist Matthew Day Jackson has unveiled the GLITS Rainbow Lounge, produced in collaboration with the design brand Made by Choice. This new piece, made with a custom painted plywood technique, is part of the Kolho line, a series of tables and chairs formed of right angles and serpentine forms. The collection is inspired by the Apollo landing and a small Finnish town called Kolho.

The GLITS Rainbow Lounge is the latest piece in the iconic Kolho family. Jackson created a unique rainbow plywood material for this chair, which is paired with a custom Formica laminate that he developed in Kolho. Historical and contemporary uses of rainbow iconography are of great interest to Jackson, and he has incorporated this motif into the GLITS Rainbow Lounge in support of the TGBLQIA+ community. The net proceeds from the first 20 GLITS Rainbow Lounges sold will be donated to the nonprofit GLITS. Ten percent of net proceeds will be donated to the organization for all sales thereafter.

GLITS creates holistic solutions to the health and housing crises faced by TGBLQIA+ individuals in the New York City area, across the United States, and around the world through harm reduction, human rights principles, economic and social justice. Learn more at (opens in a new window) glitsinc.org.

To inquire about purchasing the GLITS Rainbow Lounge, email (opens in a new window) inquiries@pacegallery.com.

230522 • Made by Choice Product Launch Image 29 by Chris Coe © 2023 — Photo by Chris Coe © 2023

230522 • Made by Choice Product Launch Image 14 by Chris Coe © 2023 — Photo by Chris Coe © 2023

Working with designers from all over the world, Made by Choice carefully selects the very best materials for each project. Despite this global approach, Made by Choice maintains a clear “Made in Finland” ethos, which pays tribute to Finnish craftsmanship and traditional woodworking. All products are manufactured in Finland through the synergy of advanced technology and skilled craftspeople.

Through its collaborations with American designers, Made by Choice aims to merge the traditional craft and heritage of Finnish furniture making with conceptual ideas of material, form, and atmosphere.

An award-winning and value-driven design brand, Made by Choice was founded by three longtime friends—Lasse Laine, Sebastian Jansson, and Niclas Ahlström—who aimed to create a new Nordic design language focused on sustainability. Their goal is to produce modern yet timeless design objects that can be passed down through generations.

230522 • Made by Choice Product Launch Image 12 by Chris Coe © 2023 — Photo by Chris Coe © 2023

Niclas Ahlström, co-founder of Made by Choice, says:

“ . . . Matthew is a highly talented artist whose works cover the broad spectrum between painting, sculpture, photography, and more. For our New York event, he showcased for the first time ever his iconic Kolho chair in rainbow color. . .”

Matthew Day Jackson says:

“Our collaboration was destiny. It all happened because of my show at the Serlachius Museum, and the collaboration unfolded very organically and led to a beautiful story. It was beyond interesting; it was an obsession and led to close friendships.”

Artist's Statement

The GLITS Rainbow Lounge Chair is part of the Kolho furniture line that I designed and produced with Made By Choice, a young Finnish company with deep ties to the history of 20th century design. The line was born out of a solo exhibition I presented at the Serlachius Museum in Finland in 2019 and the great many people, places, and events that came together to make that show a reality. I engaged in playful exchanges with friends to create that exhibition, a furniture line, a custom Formica laminate (MDJ Kuu), and a role-playing game. This was one of the greatest moments in my life and career as an artist. The furniture that I’ve designed with Made By Choice is an homage to the beauty of that moment. It is a vessel for all the love and trust that created something tangible, beautiful, and useful.

Rainbow iconography has been used across various social movements to represent peace, multicultural coalition building, class consciousness, and affirmation and dignity for LGBTQ+ people. Made up of constituent particles of visible light, a rainbow is an apt symbol for the efforts and life’s work of the Mattachine Society, Fred Hampton, Jesse Jackson, Marsha P. Johnson, and countless others. Their tireless advocacy for those who struggle under the constraints and trappings of history and society helped to change the world. The fruits of their labors, a million little victories, are the aggregate of a foundation upon which I build a home for my ideas and for my community, which grow and shift as I do.

The GLITS Rainbow Lounge Chair came to fruition in 2020 during the pandemic and coinciding protests surrounding the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other victims of police violence. In the midst of these events—and the attendant feelings of frustration and powerlessness that I was experiencing—I chose to create furniture, which I usually make and sell to support my studio and family, in support of the work, values, and vision of people I admire. I realized that I could write this support into the sale of the chair, so that as long as it remains in production, its value and use could extend into something greater than its parts. It was at this time that I became aware of Ceyenne Doroshow and the work she does as founder of GLITS Inc, building sustainable solutions through housing and education. Incorporating the chair into a project for domestic security was the right fit for my aims as an artist and a person.

The GLITS Rainbow Lounge Chair is made from individually dyed layers of ply that are laminated into a block. The team at the Made By Choice factory created this material specifically for the chair. It is proprietary to the GLITS Rainbow Lounge Chair and the Kolho line.