Pae White’s multimedia practice navigates complex ideas through beauty and material experimentation. Her approach pairs artisanal craft and mechanical production, often putting common materials to uncommon use. The large-scale tapestries from White’s recent series depict drifting clouds and glistening trails of rain, woven on an industrial loom in Ghent, Belgium—once the center of a thriving Flemish textile industry. Unable to travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the artist designed and directed the work from California, where she is based. The work is installed in what was once the former Cliff House’s industrial kitchen, and viewers are invited to meander between these heavy, hanging vistas, their vivid hues and sumptuous tactility contrasting with their stainless steel surroundings. Offering a welcoming respite from an unprecedented season of droughts and wildfires, Tapestries For And About Rain reminds us of the solace we find in nature, and what we stand to lose by nature’s destruction.
Solastalgian, 2021; cotton, polyester, and Lurex; courtesy of the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin
Pae White’s diverse practice combines elements of art, design, craft, and architecture to transform ordinary objects and materials into exhilarating sculptures, installations, and experiences, often finding wonder in humble and everyday materials. Her work has been collected and exhibited widely by institutions that include New York’s Museum of Modern Art, ZKM Center for Art and Media, and Tate Modern.
Photo credit: Enrico Fiorese