For his first museum solo exhibition, Gavin Kenyon presents his largest sculpture to date and debuts a new series of textile-based works. Created specifically for MoMA PS1’s Duplex Gallery, Kenyon’s new cast-concrete sculpture, Pillar (2014), resembles a bulbous, asymmetric column that rises over 20 feet in the two-story space. Kenyon’s massive work brings together the poetic and grotesque, highlighting a shift from human-sized objects to work of monumental scale.

Over the last year, Kenyon has been experimenting with architectural forms, creating sculptures that resemble arches or columns that retain a biomorphic sensibility. His free-standing work for MoMA PS1 is composed of stacked units of cast concrete. Made from a mold composed of various fabrics stitched together, the pliable nature of the material allows Kenyon’s swollen forms to take shape. The concrete acquires the impressions of the textiles’ stitching and textures; fibers from the mold sometimes become embedded in the final sculpture. By employing techniques used in quilting, Kenyon creates various geometric patterns in sculptural relief.

The exhibition also includes a new series of sculptural reliefs that Kenyon calls “shrouds.” Made from the textiles and furs of the casting procedure, as well as sections of found paintings, the shrouds provide another view into the artist’s process. Kenyon uses upholstery techniques to mount material to its wooden support, creating taut, pregnant forms that protrude into the gallery space.

Gavin Kenyon (American, b. 1980) received his MFA from the School of Visual arts in 2006 and has been exhibiting his work since 2002, including at New York galleries Ramiken Crucible, Venus Over Manhattan, and David Zwirner. He opened his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles at Blum and Poe in January 2014.

*image (left)
Gavin Kenyon.
Installation view, 2014.
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles.
Photo: Samuel Kahn.
Courtesy the artist and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles.