Arlene Shechet's 'She Said She Said' at Pace Gallery: From Storm King to New York

Arlene Shechet, a 75-year-old sculptor known for her humorous, amorphous works in plaster, wood, metal, concrete, and ceramic, is set to open a new exhibition at Pace Gallery in New York on September 11. Titled 'She Said She Said,' the show will feature her latest series 'Touching Ground,' which revives an ancient Greek and Roman ceramics technique used for tableware. This follows her 2024 presentation 'Girl Group' at Storm King Art Center, where she installed six large-scale metal sculptures, commenting on the male domination of public art and the sculpture park's collection. In an interview with CULTURED, Shechet discussed her studio habits, including her advice for studio visits: 'Do not clean up.' She also shared insights into her creative process, noting that 'destruction is the key to originality' and that she considers herself a hoarder, as 'sculptors are always hoarders.' She mentioned her studio uniform is clothing her kids outgrew, and her playlists are curated by her musician son, Will Epstein, featuring artists like Nina Simone and Darkside. She emphasized the importance of presence in the studio, avoiding talking or audiobooks, and her splurge on high-quality tools. She also cited Flannery O'Connor's letters and Gertrude Stein as influential reading.