Pae White:
The magician of the everyday
Pae White, the contemporary artist from Pasadena, California, is known for her unconventional and experimental works that operate at the interface of art, craft and design. With this portrait, we would like to introduce the artist and her work in more detail.
Photo: Enrico Fiorese
“The way I work is often material-driven, and I let the materials and processes tell a story.”
Pae White, artist
"The flying Carpet"
Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Terminal 1, 2012
"MOTHERFLOCKER UPPERCASE A-Zed"
Installation view at Pae White: Friendship is Magic (2021), STPI, Singapore. © Pae White. Image courtesy of the artist and STPI. Photo: Toni Cuhadi, 2018
Pae White has built an international reputation after studying at the Art Center College of Design by transforming everyday objects and natural elements through innovative techniques and materials. Her art is often inspired by themes such as nature, kitsch and consumerism and plays with illusions and optical effects.
A particularly significant project for us was the collaboration at Berlin's BER airport, where we created the 'flying carpet' - an installation that floats like a floating carpet of red metal mesh over the entrance area of the main terminal, embodying the themes of travel and imagination. This work illustrates White's ability to transform everyday objects into fantastical scenarios, blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination.
"Spacemanship"
Installation view at the Saarland Museum, Saarbrücken, Germany. © Pae White. Image courtesy of the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin. Photo: Jens Ziehe, 2017
"Artists should not only be observers,
but also active participants in
the discussions that shape our world."
"~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~v2"
Pae White, Megafauna, 2021, and Intonation, 2021, installation view at ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~v2, neugerriemschneider, Berlin, 2021. © Pae White. Image courtesy of the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin. Photo: Jens Ziehe
Over the past five years, Pae White has continued to work on significant projects and has demonstrated her creative power. In 2019, she was involved in the exhibition "Cloak" at the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, which explored the relationship between textiles and space. In 2020, she exhibited her work "V2" at the Neugerriemschneider Gallery in Berlin, which highlighted her use of materials and light. Her works were also featured in the "Slow Winter Sun" exhibition at the Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco, which presented a series of recent works characterized by textile and structure.
"Morceau Accrochant"
Exhibition "Amps and Ohms or Ohms and Amps" at the Centre d'art contemporain la Synagogue de Delme, 2004
Another outstanding project was her participation in the "2nd Hangzhou Triennial of Textile Art" in China in 2022, which dealt with the contemporary examination of textiles and art. Her installations there explored the interfaces between culture, history and the material world. In addition, a personal retrospective was held again in 2023 at the Neugerriemschneider Gallery in Berlin, which showed a wide range of her works and illustrated her commitment to linking art and social issues.
These developments show that Pae White continues to be an influential voice in the contemporary art scene, whose work is internationally recognized and which encourages a deeper exploration of materials and their significance in our everyday lives. We can therefore look forward to seeing what concepts Pae White will surprise us with in the future!
"Medium Following"
Stainless steel panels, partly printed, partly mirrored, wire, 1000 x 552 cm, 108 strands, Munich, 2015
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