Kennedy Yanko Pushes the Limits of Material and Meaning in Upcoming Double Exhibition
‘Epithet’ and ‘Retro Future’ open in New York on April 5.
Kennedy Yanko’s sculptures are relics of control and surrender. Working mostly with found metal and paint skins, she coaxes the two into an uneasy alliance until they drape and fold like fabric. The artist is just days away from opening a New York doubleheader at Salon 94 and James Cohan Gallery, who are teaming up to present two solo exhibitions, staged at each respective gallery, marking a pivotal moment in Yanko’s artistic dialogue of material and meaning.
Starting in Tribeca, Epithets takes shape at James Cohan, mining the psychological terrain of color and form. Working with obsidian blacks, reflective chromes and aged metals, the works, seemingly unearthed from the subconscious, serve as as raw testimonies to the untamed elements. “For the first time in a long time, the work is guttural,” she explained in a recent statement. “I dropped down into the dark place within me and dared to look under the hood, at what I knew was seething there but couldn’t bear to confront.”
Moving uptown, Retro Future envelopes the entirety of Salon 94’s three-story Upper East Side townhouse, marking her largest exhibition to date. Drawing on ancient statuary, mid-century metalwork,and post-minimalist aesthetics, flowing forms and accents of color characterizes this body of work, highlighting the expansive spectrum of Yanko’s sculptural vision. In song with the solo presentation, the gallery will also stage Metal and Memory, a group show curated by the artist that will see artistic forebears and the vanguard that follows, such as John Chamberlain, Suzanne Jackson, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Frank Stella, Leonardo Drew, James Dinerstein and Kiah Celeste.
Both exhibitions are set to open on April 5. Epithets will remain on view through May 10, and Retro Future through May 3.
James Cohan Gallery
48, 52 Walker St 2nd Fl,
New York, NY 10013
Salon 94
3 E 89th St
New York, NY 10128
