Henna Vainio

Lot #71
Lamp #11, 2018
Plaster, fiberglass, electrical cord, light bulb
25 x 9 x 9 inches
Courtesy of Ratio 3, San Francisco

About the Artwork

Henna Vainio’s primary medium is pigmented plaster, from which she builds lean freestanding statues cast from molds of corrugated cardboard sheeting, and wall-hanging slabs cast from squashed towels and other pliant textiles. In Vainio’s work, cardboard is not a packing material and towels are not functional objects; both, instead, are references for a type of still life. Separated from their intended, more temporary functions, Vainio’s materials are not simply preserved, but transformed and elevated. With a few judicious pinches, rolls, and crumples, Vainio conjures the body: graceful, rakish, lumpen, awkward, sensual. Her works often suggest a state of animated motion, expressing agencies of their own; here, Lamp #11 pauses in a twist or a turn, casting light where its movement leads. Vainio’s recent exhibitions include Hardstep, Josh Lilley Gallery, London; More Life, Ratio 3, San Francisco; and Step of Two, Royal Nonesuch Gallery, Oakland.

Retail Value: $2,500