‘STITCHED’ by Sam Gilliam: Art Born from Constraint
Volumetric works make their global premiere at Pace Gallery.
Summary
- Pace Gallery hosts Sam Gilliam’s STITCHED through April 25, 2026, marking the U.S. debut of his Irish residency works
- Created after a shipping crisis, these pieces feature canvases cut and sewn into 3D sculptures
Sam Gilliam’s STITCHED exhibition at Pace Gallery in New York presents a remarkable body of work created during his 1993 residency at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ireland. This landmark exhibition marks the US debut of this unique body of work, as the series was born from a shipping crisis when his highly flammable petroleum-based paints were barred from overseas transport.
Gilliam innovated by staining monumental canvases in his Washington, D.C. studio, folding them, and shipping them to Ireland to be used as raw material. Once on site, he collaborated with a local seamstress to cut and sew these pre-painted fabrics into dynamic, three-dimensional compositions.
At Pace, audiences encounter both the stitched wall works and never-before-seen volumetric, balloon-like hanging sculptures, marking their debut in the United States and, for some, their global premiere. These works highlight Gilliam’s ability to transform limitations into opportunities, producing vibrant compositions of colliding geometries and colors that resist easy categorization.
Sam Gilliam’s STITCHED exhibition is currently on view at Pace in New York until April 25, 2026.
Pace Gallery
540 W 25th St, New York,
NY 10001, USA
