Karyn Olivier's 'Bend, Break, Mend' at MOCAD
Karyn Olivier, an artist originally from Trinidad and raised in Brooklyn, will showcase 'Bend, Break, Mend' at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) from August 8 to October 11, 2026. This exhibition includes her latest works and newly commissioned sculptures that reflect on Detroit's industrial past, its waterways, architecture, and postindustrial environments. Olivier's artistic approach encompasses sculpture, installation, and public engagement, focusing on how materials embody memory. Elements such as salvaged pieces, aged surfaces, and industrial remnants serve as vessels of labor, migration, and survival. The artworks interact with features like stepwells and sundials, exploring concepts of time through shadow and movement, while examining the contrasts between sand and asphalt, and decay and construction. This exhibition is part of MOCAD's twentieth anniversary celebrations.
Key facts
- Karyn Olivier is Trinidad-born and Brooklyn-raised.
- The exhibition is titled 'Bend, Break, Mend'.
- It includes recent works and newly commissioned sculptures.
- The works draw from Detroit's industrial histories, waterways, architecture, and postindustrial landscapes.
- Olivier's practice includes sculpture, installation, and public intervention.
- Materials used include salvaged fragments, weathered surfaces, and industrial matter.
- The exhibition features structures like stepwells, sundials, and excavated ground.
- The exhibition runs from 8 August to 11 October 2026 at MOCAD.
- It is part of MOCAD's twentieth anniversary programme.
Entities
Artists
- Karyn Olivier
Institutions
- Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD)
Locations
- Detroit
- United States