In the sculptures of New York-based Kevin Beasley, articles of clothing – his own t-shirts, Nike Air Jordan shoes, jackets, and pillows – interact with resin and acoustic foam. In Untitled (Panel #3), house dresses similar to those worn by his grandmother constitute the body of the sculpture. Working quickly, Beasley molds the dresses into a rippled stacked panel before the material dries, and the pigmented resin subtly obscures the floral patterns on the folded fabric. The artist’s emotional connection to the clothing keeps the experimental forms personal and autobiographical. Beasley says, “It becomes more complex when you think about how it’s not just the physical object but an object that has a history…And then you think about what could that potential history be.” Beasley’s work in sculpture and sound has been widely collected and exhibited in recent years, including 2014 Whitney Biennial and his 2012 work I Want my Spot Back performed in the atrium of the Museum of Modern Art.
photo credit: jean vong, new york