Education Committee Visits Biennial Artist Tauba Auerbach’s Studio
May 5, 2010

Artist in her studio in front of her computer talking.
Artist in her studio in front of her computer talking.

Tauba Auerbach speaks with Education Committee members in her studio in Bushwick, April 2010. Photograph by Eileen Farrell

On April 30, the Whitney Education Committee traveled to Bushwick, Brooklyn to visit 2010 artist Tauba Auerbach's studio.

rolled up canvases on the floor under a table.
rolled up canvases on the floor under a table.

A stack of canvases "curing" in Auerbach's studio, April 2010. Photograph by Eileen Farrell

Auerbach enthusiastically described how she creates her fold paintings which are currently on view in the BiennialThe artist explained how she folds and rolls raw canvases, lets them "cure," and then unfolds them and applies a thin layer of paint to the surface with a spray gun. She repeats this process several times on each canvas in order to create a surface that looks three-dimensional but is completely flat.

Artist drawing on the ground while members look on.
Artist drawing on the ground while members look on.

Education Committee members look on as Auerbach demonstrates the process for her "shatter" paintings, April 2010. Photograph by Eileen Farrell 

The artist also showed several of her ongoing projects, including her beautiful and meticulously detailed "shatter" paintings. To make them, Auerbach starts with a wood panel and then lays a sheet of glass and cardboard on top. She then breaks the glass with a hammer, lifts off the cardboard, and spray paints the spaces under each piece of shattered glass in tones of black and white.

The Education Committee was delighted to learn about Auerbach's process firsthand and is looking forward to visiting artist Dawn Clements's studio later this month!

By Sarah Meller, Education Assistant

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