Description
Throughout a career spanning six decades, Nina Yankowitz (American, b. 1946) has continuously pushed against traditional boundaries, forging a practice that defies singular definition. From loosening canvas from the stretcher and allowing it to drape and fold, to creating immersive multimedia environments that spotlight underrecognized histories, Yankowitz has harnessed an experimental approach to material and discipline to engage themes of feminism, environmentalism, and social justice. Nina Yankowitz: In the Out/Out the In, the artist’s first retrospective, presents the full breadth of her wide-ranging and innovative work and brings long-overdue recognition to her significant contributions to the art world.
Yankowitz began her career in 1960s New York, where she experimented with the material and technical possibilities of canvas, cardboard, paint sprayers, and sewing equipment to create abstract paintings. A founding member of the Heresies Collective (1976–1993), Yankowitz’s early approach to painting was informed by the feminist movement, Process art, and the legacy of Abstract Expressionism. She also participated in the countercultural scenes of Greenwich Village and upstate New York, and her collaborations with the experimental Group 212 Inter-Media Project encouraged her interest in performance and new media. In the following decades, her practice branched out into sculpture, sound and video art, and interactive installations that harness the technology behind social media platforms and video games.
