Whitney Biennial 2017
Mar 17–June 11, 2017
Jessi Reaves
47
Floor 6
Born 1986 in Portland, OR
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
With her material arsenal of found objects, industrial products, fabrics, and foam, Jessi Reaves assembles objects that challenge the boundary between furniture and sculpture. Although designed for use, her works summon a lyrical—rather than functional—association with the body.
During the Biennial, Reaves’s works are on view throughout the Museum, including its conference rooms. For Herman’s Dress, the artist sheathed an Eames Herman Miller sofa in a translucent pink silk slipcover. Her decidedly feminine embellishment gives an erotic charge to this once-radical, now safely stylish modernist statement. In another provocative alteration, Reaves zipped blue waterproof vinyl around a freestanding, wooden shelf, straitjacketing the object from its utilitarian function yet imbuing the shape with a mysterious force.
On several occasions the artist has used studio sawdust mixed with glue, but instead of employing this “woodworker’s trick” to repair imperfections, she applies it as structural material and decorative flourish. Rejecting the sleek craftsmanship of “iconic” midcentury design, Reaves exaggerates markers of construction to an almost aggressive abundance.
Basket Chair with Brown Pillow, 2017
Jessi Reaves (b. 1986), Basket Chair with Brown Pillow, 2017. Wood, metal, sawdust, wood glue, wicker basket, caning, cotton batting, polyester, and hardware, 36 x 22 x 30 in. (91.4 x 55.9 x 76.2 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Bridget Donahue, New York. Photograph by Ben Ganscos