Arlene Shechet: All at Once

The first museum survey of sculptor Arlene Shechet, this major exhibition features over 150 objects that trace the development of her innovative practice over the past 20 years. For her entire career, Shechet has embraced an experimental approach to sculpture, finding form in the chance processes that occur as mutable materials—such as plaster, ceramic, paper pulp and glass—become solid. Her exhilarating, polymorphic sculptures test the limits of color and glaze, creating highly visceral surfaces and painterly effects.

Shechet has, over the last decade, generated a body of work remarkable for its use of clay. Fascinated by the material’s history, Shechet recently completed a residency at the renowned Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. The resulting body of work—including mash-ups of functional objects and whimsical figurines—show an artist at the top of her form: recasting centuries old traditions into her own mold.

Arlene Shechet: All at Once is organized by Jenelle Porter, Mannion Family Senior Curator at the ICA.

Episode No. 194 of Tyler Green’s The Modern Art Notes Podcast features artist Arlene Shechet and curator Mari Carmen Ramirez.