Katie Stout

Verdant Malformations

April 6 – May 1, 2021

Katie Stout

Verdant Malformations

April 6 – May 1, 2021

Installation Views Thumbnails Back

Installation view of "Katie Stout: Verdant Formations," New York, 2021.

Press Release

Katie Stout: Verdant Malformations
Opening: Tuesday, April 6, 2021

(New York, NY) – Venus Over Manhattan is pleased to present Verdant Malformations, an exhibition of new works by Katie Stout.

Throughout her career, Stout has continually redrawn conventional boundaries between art and design, using function as the starting point for exquisitely crafted sculptural works. For her first exhibition at Venus Over Manhattan, Stout has developed a new group of her iconic “Lady Lamps.” In this new iteration, these intricately sculpted works are rendered in glass, ceramic, and bronze, elements introduced into the series for the first time.

Stout’s sculptures, referencing the excessive detail of Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s still-life portraits and the dystopian visions of Hieronymus Bosch, evoke states of material decay, and regeneration. Her over-ripe, perishing natural forms serve as memento mori, but also as a reminders of life’s resilience. Bold but delicate, these constructions advance Stout’s ongoing exploration of the female form as a site upon which our culture enacts its preoccupations with ornament, allure, and value.

The “Lady Lamp” sculptures—figurative, womanly depictions characterized by playful, provocative body positions that simultaneously convey animation and provide structural support—are representative of Stout’s broader practice. As with all of Stout’s work, the vibrantly colored objects on view at Venus Over Manhattan are inflected with both joy and degrees of pathos achieved through irregularity of form.

Verdant Malformations will also debut new small-scale sculptures referred to by Stout as “wall jewelry” — accretions that commute the artist’s chosen materials of bronze and glass beyond the physical confines of her lamps, in order to engage the space around them.

About the Artist

Katie Stout (b. 1989, Portland, ME) lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. She is at the forefront of a generational shift towards a maximalist, expressive mode in sculpture and design. In refusing to reside in one category, her work transcends the longstanding debate about the boundaries between art and design. In particular, Stout’s work reinforces her commitment to
the centrality of craft in contemporary art.

Regarded as one of the leading designers of her generation, Stout has exhibited her work at institutions including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Barbara, and the Swiss Institute. Her work has featured in major group exhibitions, inluding recent presentations at Jeffrey Deitch, Tina Kim, Nina Johnson, Friedman Benda, and R & Company. She is represented by Nina Johnson and R & Company. Her work is held in the collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, Texas; Museum of Art and Design, New York; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California.

For further information about the exhibition and availability, please contact the gallery at info@venusovermanhattan.com

For all press releated inquiries, pleasee contact Andrea Schwan, Andrea Schwan, Inc. info@andreaschwan.com +1 (917) 371-5023

Selected Works

Selected Works Thumbnails

Sculpture and lamp by Katie Stout titled Janet from 2021

Katie Stout
Janet, 2021
Ceramic, bronze, glass, gold luster
69 x 32 x 17 in
175.3 x 81.3 x 43.2 cm

Sculpture and lamp by Katie Stout titled Vicky from 2021

Katie Stout
Vicky, 2021
Ceramic, bronze, glass, gold luster
68 x 49 x 24 in
172.7 x 124.5 x 61 cm

Sculpture and lamp by Katie Stout titled Abraham from 2021

Katie Stout
Abraham, 2021
Ceramic, bronze, glass, gold luster
29 x 15 x 9 in
73.7 x 38.1 x 22.9 cm

Sculpture and lamp by Katie Stout titled Trina from 2021

Katie Stout
Trina, 2021
Ceramic, bronze, glass, gold luster
32 x 15 x 11 in
81.3 x 38.1 x 27.9 cm

Sculpture and lamp by Katie Stout titled Felicia from 2021

Katie Stout
Felicia, 2021
Ceramic, bronze, glass, gold luster
26 x 15 x 15 in
66 x 38.1 x 38.1 cm

Sculpture and lamp by Katie Stout titled Zelda from 2021

Katie Stout
Zelda, 2021
Ceramic, bronze, glass, gold luster
29 x 12 x 13 in
73.7 x 30.5 x 33 cm

Ceramic sculpture by Katie Stout from 2021

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Ceramic, gold luster
9 x 15 x 8 in
22.9 x 38.1 x 20.3 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Ceramic, gold luster
9 1/2 x 8 x 10 in
24.1 x 20.3 x 25.4 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Ceramic, gold luster
7 1/2 x 13 x 6 1/2 in
19.1 x 33 x 16.5 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Glass and bronze
4 x 5 x 2 in
10.2 x 12.7 x 5.1 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Glass and bronze
8 1/2 x 6 x 4 1/2 in
21.6 x 15.2 x 11.4 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Glass and bronze
12 x 3 x 4 in
30.5 x 7.6 x 10.2 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Glass and bronze
10 x 3 x 4 in
25.4 x 7.6 x 10.2 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Glass and bronze
3 x 5 x 2 in
7.6 x 12.7 x 5.1 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Glass and bronze
12 x 4 x 5 1/2 in
30.5 x 10.2 x 14 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Ceramic, bronze, gold luster
9 x 5 x 3 in
22.9 x 12.7 x 7.6 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Ceramic and bronze
6 1/2 x 5 x 6 1/4 in
16.5 x 12.7 x 15.9 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Ceramic and bronze
3 x 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 in
7.6 x 8.9 x 6.3 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Glass and bronze
6 x 4 x 2 in
15.2 x 10.2 x 5.1 cm

Katie Stout
Arabella, 2021
Ceramic, bronze, gold luster
16 x 16 x 5 in
40.6 x 40.6 x 12.7 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Ceramic, bronze, gold luster
8 x 7 x 3 in
20.3 x 17.8 x 7.6 cm

Katie Stout
Untitled, 2021
Two pieces: ceramic and bronze
Artichoke: 14 x 6 x 5 in (35.6 x 15.2 x 12.7 cm)
Flowers: 17 x 10 x 5 in (43.2 x 25.4 x 12.7 cm)
(KSTOU037)