Willa Nasatir

July 14–Oct 1, 2017

Photograph of a mirrored floor with leopard-print butterfly leaning against a small bed.
Photograph of a mirrored floor with leopard-print butterfly leaning against a small bed.

Willa Nasatir (b. 1990), Butterfly, 2017. Chromogenic print mounted on wood, 73 1/2 x 60 in. (186.7 x 152.4 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Chapter NY, New York

The emerging artist Willa Nasatir (b. 1990) creates photographs routinely informed by a cinematic vocabulary, inspired by the shifting landscape and individuals who inhabit New York, where she works and lives.  Nasatir’s compositions routinely function as part-still life, part-portrait (notably without bodies), evoking a surreal otherworldly environment—a realm that’s familiar yet simultaneously difficult to pin down.
 
Nasatir’s photographs begin as makeshift sculptures, quickly assembled in her studio from an array of unexpected, disparate objects ranging from decorative fans to a car headlight. She alters and combines these found objects, which she photographs and re-photographs, subjecting the surfaces to dramatic material and light effects. The resulting works are hand-manipulated images that become psychologically charged and difficult to discern; the viewer is left to parse out unresolved narratives that the image only implies.

For this exhibition, Nasatir presents a significant new body of work in addition to a selection of earlier works, produced over the past few years.

This exhibition is organized by Jane Panetta, Associate Curator.

Generous support for Willa Nasatir is provided by Jackson Tang.




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Essay

Abstract photograph in blue and black hues.

Locating the Photographs of Willa Nasatir

By Jane Panetta, associate curator

"Nasatir exploits the possibilities of photography as an expansive platform for experimentation across composition, scale, and process."

Read essay

Audio guides

Photograph of a mirrored floor with leopard-print butterfly leaning against a small bed.
Photograph of a mirrored floor with leopard-print butterfly leaning against a small bed.

Willa Nasatir (b. 1990), Butterfly, 2017. Chromogenic print mounted on wood, 73 1/2 x 60 in. (186.7 x 152.4 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Chapter NY, New York

Hear directly from artists and curators on selected works from the exhibition.

View guide


On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

On the Hour projects can contain motion and sound. To respect your accessibility settings autoplay is disabled.