Sarah Braman
You Are Everything
March 10–April 16th, 2016
Mitchell-Innes & Nash
534 W 26th St
New York, NY 10001
Mitchell-Innes & Nash is delighted to present YOU ARE EVERYTHING, an exhibition of new sculpture works and panel paintings by Sarah Braman. The exhibition opens March 10, 2016 and will be Braman’s first solo exhibition in New York in five years.
Braman is known for her large-scale sculptures in which parts of scrapyard vehicles and old furniture are combined with translucent volumes of color and light. The artist’s distinctive color palette of rich pinks, blues and purples permeates the exhibition, from spray paint on found objects and hand-dyed fabric to the expansive colors of the glass forms.
For her most recent series, Braman uses scavenged objects from domestic life, such as discarded bunk bed, a truck cap, assorted furniture, as a starting point. Their visible wear-and-tear speaks to the passage of time and recalls the everyday struggles and joys to which these objects bore witness. Braman turns the utility of these objects on their head, destabilizing the notions of home and family.
In contrast, the glass forms to which these objects are attached appear otherworldly. Placed at off-kilter angles throughout the exhibition space, the sunset colored blocks generate a light and shadow that quietly uproot these broken down memorials.
Some of the sculptures have carpets or cushions that invite the viewer into the belly of the work. In “Driving, sleeping, screwing, reading”, Braman offers a selection books scavenged from her town dump such as The Guinness Book of World Records, Bobby Fletcher Teaches Chess and Cross Country Skiing as leisurely reading material for those who might like to stay a while.
The artist would like to thank Steve Grant for his patience and skill in welding, Nina Weyl and Seth Coen for their tireless and careful sewing, Barb Hadden for so much studio help, Mom and Liz for all the babysitting, and Saul, Jody and Phil for being the best home team.
*All images captioned: Sarah Braman installation view: You Are Everything, Mitchell-Innes & Nash, NY 2016. Courtesy of the artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, NY