Rachel Harrison

Rachel Harrison (born 1966, New York) is an American visual artist who is primarily known for her assemblage work and sculpture.^[1] She lives and works in New York.^[2]

Early life

Harrison was born in 1966 in New York.^[2] In 1989 she attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art from Wesleyan University.^[1]

Career

In 1996 Harrison had her first exhibition, entitled Should home windows or shutters be required to withstand a direct hit from an eight-foot-long two-by-four shot from a cannon at 34 miles an hour, without creating a hole big enough to let through a three-inch sphere?, at the Arena Gallery in New York City.^[1] In this show, Harrison established her predilection for producing sculptures that juxtapose a unique combination of found, purchased, and received items.^[1] Since then, her works have been fabricated using a wide range of materials, such as honey, cans of peas, papier-mâché, and trash bags.^[1] By using everyday goods and objects, Harrison frequently takes on the subject of consumer culture.^[1] She also often confronts popular culture and celebrity with her work. For instance, in her 2012 exhibition The Help, her pieces featured the singer Amy Winehouse and the artist Martin Kippenberger.^[3]

Exhibitions

Select solo exhibitions

• Should home windows or shutters be required to withstand a direct hit from an eight-foot-long two-by-four shot from a cannon at 34 miles an hour, without creating a hole big enough to let through a three-inch sphere?, Arena Gallery, Brooklyn, New York (1996) ^[4]
• The Look of Dress-Separates, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York (1997)
• Patent Pending: Beveled Rasp Sac, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York (1999)
• Perth Amboy, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York (2001)
• Westward Ho, Bergen Kunsthalle, Gallery No. 5, Norway (2003)
• New Work, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco (2004)^[5]
• Posh Floored as Ali G Tackles Becks, Camden Arts Centre, London (2004)
• Excuse Me?, Arndt + Partner, Berlin (2004)
• Lakta/Latkas, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York (2004)
• Car Stereo Parkway, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow (2005)
• Checking the Tires, Not To Mention The Marble Nude, Galerie Christian Nagel, Köln (2006)
• When Hangover becomes Form, with Scot Lyall, Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver; LACE, Los Angeles (2006)
• Sometimes it Snows in April, with Michael Krebber, The McCallister Institute, New York (2006)
• Voyage Of The Beagle, Migros Museum, Zurich (2007)
• If I Did It, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York (2007)
• Sunny Side Up, Meyer Kaine Gallery, Vienna (2008)
• Lay of the Land, Le Consortium, Dijion (2008)
• Consider the Lobster, Hessel Museum, Bard College, Annadale-on-Hudson (2009)^[6]
• HAYCATION, Portikus (2009)^[7]
• Conquest of the Useless, Whitechapel Gallery, London (2010)^[8]
• Double Yolk, with Scott Lyall, Galerie Christan Nagel, Antwerp (2011)
• The Help, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York (2012)
• Villeperdue, Galerie Meyer Kainer, Vienna (2013)

Select group exhibitions

• 2008 Whitney Biennial (2008)^[9]

Public collections

Harrison's work can be found in a number of public institutions, including:

• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum^[10]
• Whitney Museum of American Art^[11]
• Metropolitan Museum of Art^[12]
• Museum of Modern Art^[13]

Recognition

In 2011 Harrison was awarded the Calder Prize and residency.^[14]

References

External links

• Rachel Harrison – Triple Canopy
• Rachel Harrison – Greene Naftali
• Harrison on ArtFacts.net
• Rachel Harrison at Galerie Meyer Kainer, Vienna
• Rachel Harrison The Help