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Royal Hospital Kilmainham
Dublin 8, D08 FW31, Ireland
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American artist Beverly Semmes is one of a number of younger generation artists working with issues involving the body and feminism. Her early sculptures took the form of wearable garments such as Cloud Hats and Cloud Clothing, which were usually filmed and/or photographed with the wearer engaged in a narrative.

Since 1991, Semmes’s sculptures have evolved to over-sized flat dress forms, made in crushed velvet, organza, fake fur and other fabrics, pinned to the wall and flowing on to the floor. Some works exist alone, while others are grouped to form installations.

The exhibition, her first one-person show in Ireland, surveyed the artist’s work over the past five years and included photoworks and large environmental installations as well as small-scale sculptures. There were two new works in the exhibition, one of which, Twister, involved a new kinetic element.

A fully-illustrated catalogue documenting the exhibition, including an essay by New York based-writer Laura Cottingham, is available: price £9.99.


About the Artist

Beverly Semmes, b.1958

American sculptor Beverly Semmes makes monumental fabric creations which fuse personal fantasy and social commentary. Made with velvet, tulle, organza and lamé, her sculptures explore the power of clothing and its ability to define the self. Semmes has exhubited internationally since the 1990s, including solo exhibitions at the Sculpture Centre, New York; Camden Arts Centre, London; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. ‘Beverly Semmes: New and Recent Sculpture’ took place at IMMA in 1996.

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Additional Resources 

 

Additional Resources

Artist Talk | Beverly Semmes (1996) Soundcloud