Katherine Mangiardi's New York solo debut explores lace through painting, assemblage, and photography

Katherine Mangiardi presented her first solo exhibition in New York at Bernarducci Meisel from January 17 to February 9, 2013, located at 37 West 57th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. The show, titled 'Paintings of Lace,' focused on the material's historical, aesthetic, and social dimensions. Mangiardi, a recent graduate of RISD and Skowhegan in 2008, works across painting, assemblage, photography, and installation, avoiding photorealism despite the gallery's usual emphasis on hyper-mimetic art. Her pieces included plaster and canvas constructions that mimic sewing, photographic self-portraits inspired by Cindy Sherman and Yinka Shonibare, and painterly deconstructions of lace's decorative patterns. The exhibition was selected as an ARTCRITICAL PICK in February 2013, highlighting its critical recognition. Mangiardi's approach blends meticulous rendering with elements reminiscent of action painting, exploring themes of identity and labor through lace's intricate forms.