Bean Gilsdorf
American Pietà
2019
wool, cotton, polyester, lamé, buttons.
46 x 19 x 8 inches
Nominated by Anthony Discenza:
I’m submitting a recent sculpture by a dear friend, Bean Gilsdorf, whose work I’ve always felt should get more attention. Both she and I share an interest in the use of appropriation, but the way Bean incorporates historical imagery into her textile sculptures continually surprises. As a 4-th generation seamstress, her work is always exquisitely made (images often don’t do justice to this aspect of her work); in this series she incorporates a hybrid of couture and upholstery sewing techniques in the works’ construction. Recently her sculptures have gotten a lot weirder and more complex, in the best way. Operating in an unsettling space between puppet and slipcover, these works reify images of iconic American figures in an uncanny way, suggesting the hollowness of the narratives their images are used to prop up.
artist website: beangilsdorf.com