Sara Greenberger Rafferty's 'New Works: Dresses and Books' at Rachel Uffner Gallery

Sara Greenberger Rafferty presented her fourth solo exhibition at Rachel Uffner Gallery from April 3 to May 15, 2016. The show, titled 'New Works: Dresses and Books,' featured ten mixed-media works exploring domesticity, gender, fashion, and the relationship between pages and screens. Located at 170 Suffolk Street in New York, the gallery's second-floor space displayed pieces combining acetate, Plexiglas, inkjet prints, acrylic polymer, and hardware. Rafferty's works took rectangular or square forms, with one piece, 'Dress' (2016), cut in the shape of a dress using photographic images and acrylic polymer. The exhibition included an artist's book, 'Recommended Reading' (2016), with text by Melissa Huber, containing advertisements, essays, clothing catalogues, and collages. Rafferty referenced sources like Charles Baudelaire's 'The Painter of Modern Life' (1863), highlighting passages on fashion and modernity. One work featured a checklist of emotions on an evening gown, exploring how consumer culture influences self-perception. The materials were intentionally excessive, with more hardware than necessary, commenting on object decor and necessity.