Artists Josiah McElheny and Diane Simpson met a dozen years ago in Chicago, where McElheny first encountered Simpson's work. He had just completed two interrelated exhibitions entitled Interactions of the Abstract Body, which focused on abstract dress forms, and was thrilled to discover Simpson's multidecade exploration of sculptural form in homage to the body and clothing. The two artists immediately formed a long-term friendship, often talking about model-making and drawing as methods to develop sculptural forms. Ever since, McElheny has been fascinated by Simpson's unique use of axonometric drawing—an alternative drafting system that describes objects in three dimensions without a single vanishing point—as the basis for her depictions of garments, architecture, and furniture.
Simpson has invited McElheny to walk through Formal Wear and lead visitors in a conversation about her distinctive drawings and sculptures (she will be there in spirit from Chicago). Come with questions and thoughts. This event is free and open to the public with RSVP.
New York–based artist Josiah McElheny’s sculptures, paintings, installations, performances, and films draw from his research into diverse fields—literature, architecture, fashion, music theory, and astronomy, among others—translating those ideas into material form. Often combining glass or mirror with other materials, his work can be seen as being centered on the act of looking as a subject in and of itself. McElheny’s large-scale installation Island Universe is currently on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. McElheny received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2006.