Raúl de Nieves presents beaded sculptures and seasonal collages in Los Angeles solo show
Raúl de Nieves's solo exhibition at Freedman Fitzpatrick in Los Angeles features six beaded, jumpsuited sculptures and a central figure, Psychopomp, guiding them in a maroon-walled gallery. The show includes four collage wallworks named after seasons and three clown drawings, extending themes from the artist's 2014 chamber opera with Colin Self. De Nieves, a self-taught sculptor and performer in the band Hair Bone with Jessie Stead and Nathan Whipple, uses plastic beads and craft materials to create glasslike surfaces, referencing Mexican Day of the Dead traditions. The exhibition ran from 20 September to 3 November 2018, following the artist's 2017 Whitney Biennial installation. His work blends celebratory spirit with cultural motifs, contrasting attitudes toward death between Mexico and the United States.
Key facts
- Raúl de Nieves's solo exhibition at Freedman Fitzpatrick in Los Angeles featured six beaded sculptures and Psychopomp.
- The exhibition included four seasonal collage wallworks and three clown drawings titled Fool I, Fool II, and Fool III.
- De Nieves collaborated with composer/choreographer Colin Self on a 2014 chamber opera reprised at The Kitchen in New York in February 2018.
- The artist fronts the noise band Hair Bone with artists Jessie Stead and Nathan Whipple.
- The show ran from 20 September to 3 November 2018.
- De Nieves's work references Mexican Day of the Dead traditions using plastic craft materials.
- The artist previously transformed the Whitney Museum's fifth floor with acetate window treatments for the 2017 biennial.
- Psychopomp, a beaded figure, guides the sculptures in the exhibition, evoking themes of death and renewal.
Entities
Artists
- Raúl de Nieves
- Colin Self
- Jessie Stead
- Nathan Whipple
Institutions
- Freedman Fitzpatrick
- Whitney Museum
- The Kitchen
- ArtReview
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- New York
- Mexico