Polly Apfelbaum

Featuring large-scale installations of textiles, ceramics and drawings, the work of Polly Apfelbaum (b.1955, Abington) is framed by wider political contexts and the legacy of post-war American art. Apfelbaum combines a variety of media with eye-catching colours and patterns to blur the lines between painting, sculpture and installation, while also exploring the boundaries between art and handicraft. She chooses materials, such as textiles and ceramics, that are usually found in the domestic realm, and emphasises their essential qualities, especially colour and texture. In this way, Apfelbaum assumes a political and feminist position, challenging hierarchies in cultural practice. 

During the 1990s she created what she calls ‘fallen paintings’, works using vibrant hand-dyed fabrics shown on the floor. She described them as ‘poised between painting and sculpture … working promiscuously and improperly’. Deep Purple, Red Shoes III (2015) is a carpet installation composed of strips woven by Oaxacan artisans, in shades of deep red and purple that flow into one another. The nature of the installation invites the viewer to walk upon it. Most recently, Apfelbaum has developed a body of wall-mounted ceramics resulting from an extended residency at Arcadia University, Pennsylvania, near to where the artist grew up. The colour palettes of these works, which read like abstract paintings, draws upon Pennsylvania German art, popular music and traditional craft practices. ‘The goal is to interpret the personal as political’ Apfelbaum explains, ‘I'm starting to look back at my own history, where the inspiration came from’.