Jason Yates Explores Raggedy Ann and Andy's Unsettling Afterlives at Post Times

Jason Yates's solo exhibition at Post Times in New York examines the emotional residue of American cultural symbols, centering on Raggedy Ann and Andy. First appearing in Johnny Gruelle's 1918 children's books, these dolls became beloved icons of innocence and nostalgia. Yates treats them as unstable artifacts, revealing the performance behind their fixed smiles and worn bodies. The exhibition also features a black sculpture of a crying basset hound from a 1971 coin bank, enlarged and stripped of cheerfulness to become a funereal relic. Yates, born in 1972 in Detroit, lives in Los Angeles, holds a BFA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from ArtCenter College of Design. His work has been included in the 2015 Whitney Biennial and written about in Artforum, The New York Times, Frieze, and Hyperallergic.