Artist Spotlight: Petah Coyne

I had the pleasure of viewing Petah Coyne's incredible sculptures at Galerie Lelong in New York years ago and was so excited to see her being exhibited at Art Basel Miami. There are few words to describe how amazing Coyne's works are and they truly need to be viewed in person to get the full effect.  Coyne uses so many different materials in her works that you always find something new and surprising. Whether they are hanging down from the ceiling or rising up like a mountain from the floor, Coyne's works are hauntingly beautiful.

Untitled #1240 (Black Cloud), 2007–08

Untitled #1274 (Death in Venice), 2003–08

Untitled #1203 (Camel's Back), 2005–07

Untitled #1175 (La Notte), 2003–08

Untitled # 1336 (Scalapino Nu Shu), 2009–10

Installation view: Everything That Rises Must Converge

Photographs courtesy of 

Galerie Lelong and Petah Coyne

The Citizen Curator

White Gauze

Robert Mapplethorpe

1984

Photograph

I just read this short but interesting article in ARTnews magazine about an exhibition at Sean Kelly Gallery in New York. The gallery was planning a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition and randomly selected one person from each of the 50 states to select a work to be included in the exhibition. The person had to give an explanation of why they chose the piece, which accompanied the display. 


I think this is an interesting concept, as "non-experts" are choosing what works to display. I would venture to guess that many of them had never heard of Mapplethorpe, nor studied his works, which are known for their erotic and explicit nature.