Photo: Eva Herzog
For over a decade, Katz has investigated the ways in which aesthetic practices link and absorb autobiography, commodity culture, information systems and art history. Her diverse imagery, including cocks, cabbages, mouths, fairies, elevators, noses, waterways, and variations on her own name, appear as recurring symbols and icons which build an unending constellation of ideas and references. Images transmute across the media of painting, posters, ceramics and installations. It is through this act of returning to, copying, transforming and reshaping motifs that the artist creates a lineage and continuity from one work to another, informing and connecting the totality with each new appearance. ‘I paint like I write, that is, I build around quotes, which is a conversation, in effect,’ says Katz. Her subjects are united by a curiosity for how an image passes through embodied experience, while its elasticity of meaning is shaped by impersonal, cultural conditions through time. In this way her work addresses the ambiguity of subjectivity and its presentation.
Katz’s work is an examination of painting’s plane as a flat space where depth can appear, in both a literal and metaphorical way. Beyond the picture plane, her practice has a complex arrangement with the tactile world, engaging with the idea of the viewer as both subject and participant. Katz’s use of texture complicates the painting’s window-like view into another world, grounding the physicality of images in our own sense of touch by mixing sand or rice into the pigment.
Further breaking the autonomy of the illustrative tableau, her staging of exhibitions is inextricably linked to the paintings but also separate to them, and often an artwork in and of itself. The walls that she designs are built around the idea of a viewer’s encounter. This may involve the creation of contrasting perspectives, rooms within rooms or one-to-one painted copies of pre-existing architectural features, such as an elevator. Her relationship to site specificity is fluid, and motivated by constraints and a willingness to undermine the premise itself: paintings made to measure for one location find new meaning through a completely alternative set-up elsewhere. The autonomy of painting as a discrete object is both complicated and energized by the contingency of its reception and by the exhibition as form.
Katz’s interest in framing as both motif and subtext is a formal technique that investigates subjective assumptions; the frame becomes a portal for making sense of the world. The windows and mouths that frequently appear in her paintings address a duality between the sensual and intellectual consumption of information, and synthesize different kinds of sensory experience, such as taste and sight. Exhibition posters frame the event with actual dates and times, but also skew and extend it, by existing as independent artworks that are displayed after the fact.
Katz’s use of wordplay, double entendre or riddle, in both her choice of titles and the generation of the image itself, extends to the use of her signature as a visual element, and speaks to a self-referential thread running throughout her work. The AKgraph paintings—whose titles play on the origins of the words autos ‘self’ + graphos ‘written’—mine the territory between everyday signatures and formal drawing, inscribing identity to leave a trace. Creating a likeness of her own face through the elements that make up her name, Katz pits cartoonish forms against ideas assumed to be stable and hierarchical. This playful and inquiring touch refuses the conventional notion of an artist’s ‘signature style’ in favor of a broader engagement with how a painting can be made today.
Allison Katz
Biography
Print BiographyStudied at MFA, Columbia University, New York, NY, 2008
Studied at BFA, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, 2002
Solo Exhibitions
Camden Art Centre, 'Artery', London, UK (Travelling Exhibition)
Luhring Augustine, 'While life is in your body, you have the rein of all thoughts in your hands', New York NY (online exhibition)
MIT List Visual Arts Center, 'Diary w/o Dates', Cambridge MA (Travelling Exhibition)
Grundy Art Gallery, 'fig-futures 1/16', Blackpool, UK
Antenna Space, 'Muse with a Short Fuse', Shanghai, China
Gió Marconi, 'Period', Milan, Italy
The Approach, 'We boil at different degrees', London, UK
Malraux’s Place, 'Allison Katz and Eva LeWitt', New York NY
ICA Studio, Institute of Contemporary Arts, 'Fig-2 47/50', London, UK
BFA Boatos, 'Rumours, Echoes', São Paulo, Brazil
Laura Bartlett, 'Regardless', London, UK
Johan Berggren Gallery, 'The Thames started moving. Someone in Oxford is running a bath', Malmö, Sweden
Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, 'Postcard from…Allison Katz', (citywide billboard commission), Rome, Italy
Battat Contemporary, 'To the People of Montreal', (with Alex Kwartler), Montreal, Canada
Selected Group Exhibitions
Xiao Museum of Contemporary Art, 'I'm stepping high, I'm drifting, and there I go leaping', Rizhao, China
Fondation Carmignac, 'The Imaginary Sea', Porquerolles, France
Hayward Gallery, 'Mixing It Up. Painting Today', London, UK
Luhring Augustine, 'Plus One', New York NY
Modern Art, 'This Corrosion', London, UK
The Levinsky Gallery, University of Plymouth, 'Slow Painting', Plymouth, UK (Travelling Exhibition)
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 'Artists I Steal From', London, UK
Palais de Tokyo, 'City Prince/sses', Paris, France
Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, 'Farba znaczy krew: kobieta, afekt I pragnienie we współczesnym malarstwie / Paint, also known as Blood: Women, Affect and Desire in Contemporary Painting', Warsaw, Poland
Bonner Kunstverein, 'Maskulinitäten', Bonn, Germany (in cooperation with Kunstverein and Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf)
Powerlong Museum, 'One If by Land', Shanghai, China
Golsa, 'To Make the Stone Stony', Oslo, Norway
Mendes Wood, 'Nightfall', Brussels, Belgium
Tanya Leighton, 'Nothing Will Be As Before', Berlin, Germany
Lisson Gallery, 'The Rest', New York NY
The Approach, 'Splendor Solis', London, UK
Unclebrother, 'I go, you go, good to go', Hancock NY
Metro Pictures, 'Sputterances', New York NY
SCHLOSS, 'Teenscape', Oslo, Norway
Tate St. Ives, 'That Continuous Thing. Artists and the Ceramics Studio, 1920 -Today', St. Ives, UK
Serpentine Sackler Gallery, 'DAS INSTITUT (DAS INSTITUT and Allison Katz)', London, UK
Off Vendome, 'The Discovery of a Leak in the Roof of Marcel Breuer’s Wellfleet Summer Cottage on the Morning of September 6, 1984', New York NY (Travelling Exhibition)
Commercial Street, 'The Discovery of a Leak in the Roof of Marcel Breuer’s Wellfleet Summer Cottage on the Morning of September 6, 1984', Provincetown RI (Travelling Exhibition)
Bergen Kunsthall, 'Fredrik Vaerslev. All Around Amateur', Bergen, Norway (Travelling Exhibition)
Le Consortium, 'Fredrik Vaerslev. All Around Amateur', Dijon, France (Travelling Exhibition)
Division Gallery, 'Intensive Nesting', Montreal, Canada
Croy Nielsen, 'Sex and the City', Berlin, Germany
Freedman Fitzpatrick, 'Dredgers on the Rail (DAS INSTITUT and Allison Katz)', Los Angeles CA
Bodega, 'Kleenex Rose', New York NY
Tanya Leighton, 'No Joke', Berlin, Germany
Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, 'Off Cardinal Points (DAS INSTITUT and Allison Katz)', Berlin, Germany
David Roberts Art Foundation, 'The Violet Crab', London, UK
Kestner Gesellschaft, 'Casa La Taza Blanca, Gallery Peacetime at Pool', Hanover, Germany
CURA, Basement Roma, 'Congratulations On Your Ugly Handwriting', Rome, Italy
Francesca Minini, 'Dizionario di Pittura', Milan, Italy
The Approach, 'July', London, UK
South London Gallery, 'Last Seen Entering the Biltmore', London, UK
Sculpture Center, 'Puddle, Pothole, Portal', Long Island City NY
Marquis Dance Hall, 'A Slight Oscillation of the Poles', Istanbul, Turkey
Sikkema Jenkins, 'I Am The Magic Hand', New York NY
Fauna, 'Noisy Spaghetti', Copenhagen, Denmark
Office Baroque, 'Notes on Neo–Camp', Antwerp, Belgium (Travelling Exhibition)
Studio Voltaire, 'Notes on Neo–Camp', London, UK (Travelling Exhibition)
Susan Hobbs, 'The Room and Its Inhabitants', Toronto, Canada
SpazioA, 'Sense and Sensibility', Pistoia, Italy
Algus Greenspon, 'The Stairs', New York NY
1857, 'Tussie–Mussie', Oslo, Norway
Clearing, 'Les Biches', Brooklyn NY
Michael Benevento, 'Steel Life', Los Angeles CA
Emmanuel Layr, 'Very Abstract and Really Figurative', Vienna, Austria
Tate Britain, 'Tai Shani: The 144th Collapse of the Double Life Flexing Surface', (paintings for Tai Shani performance), London, UK
Westfaelischer Kunstverein, 'Kehraus. Abschied von stabilen Wänden', (as It’s Our Pleasure To Serve You), Munster, Germany
Mumok – Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, 'Nothing is exciting. Nothing is sexy. Nothing is not embarrassing', Vienna, Austria (performance as It’s Our Pleasure to Serve You)
Smith–Stewart Gallery, 'When You See Me Again It Won’t Be Me/This is the Announcement', New York NY (performance as It’s Our Pleasure to Serve You)
The Unfair Fair, Loto–Arte, 'When You See Me Again It Won’t Be Me/Would You Like Some Coffee?', Rome, Italy (performance as It’s Our Pleasure to Serve You)
Curated Exhibitions
Awards and Honours
Residencies
Bibliography
Monographs
Godfrey, Mark, 'File Note 137: Allison Katz', London: Camden Art Centre, 2022, ill. (exh. pamphlet)
Artist’s Writings
___'Window – Insert', in: 'The Happy Hypocrite – Freedom', no.6, London: Bookworks, 2013, p. 65
Publications
____'Piper Keys Exhibitions', London: Piper Keys, 2021, ill. (exh. cat.)
Rugoff, Ralph, 'Mixing It Up. Painting Today', London: Hayward Gallery, 2021, pp. 102-105,
ill. (exh. cat.)
Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej Warszawa (ed.), 'Kobieta, afekt I pragnienie we współczesnym malarstwie', Warsaw: Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej Warszawa, 2019, pp. 5, 13, 112-113, ill. (exh. cat.)
Herbert, Martin, Judah, Hettie, Fox, Gillian (et al.), in: 'Slow Painting', London: Hayward Gallery, 2019, pp. 73-79, 146-152, ill. (exh. cat.)
Mahler-LeWitt Studios (ed.), 'Allison Katz. Traforati', in: Mahler-LeWitt Studios, Spoleto: Mahler-LeWitt Studios, 2019, pp. 76-81, ill. (exh. cat.)
Thorne, Sam, 'That Continuous Thing: Artists & the Ceramics Studio', London: Tate, 2016 ill. (exh. cat.)
Press
Basciano, Oliver, 'Allison Katz’s. Artery', on: art-agenda.com, 4 February 2022
Carey-Kent, Paul, 'Allison Katz: Interview of the Month', on: artlyst.com, 1 February 2022
Cumming, Laura, 'New Year Arts: Observer Critics Pick the Culture to Get Us Through to Spring', on: theguardian.com, 2 January 2022
Dillon, Brian, 'The Big Review. Allison Katz. Artery’ at Camden Arts Centre, London', in: The Art Newspaper, February 2022
Frankel, Eddy, 'Show of the Week. Cabbage, Chickens and Chaos. Allison Katz. Artery', in: Time Out London, no. 2620, January 2022
Hoberman, Mara, 'La Mer Imaginaire. Villa Carmignac', in: Artforum 60, no. 5, January 2022
Hunt, Andrew, ‘Allison Katz, Camden Arts Centre’, in: Artforum 60, no. 9, May 2022
Judah, Hettie, 'Allison Katz. Artery', on: 'Camden Art Centre, Review: Thrillingly Personal', on: inews.co.uk, 19 January 2022
LaBarge, Emily, 'Allison Katz', on: 4columns.org, 18 February 2022
Luke, Ben, 'Allison Katz at Camden Art Centre Review: Amusing and Unsettling, It’ll Leave Your Head Spinning', on: standard.co.uk, 18 January 2022
___,'Culture in London: The Faces to Watch in 2022 - Visual Art', on: standard.co.uk, 13 January 2022
Madsen, Kristian Vistrup, 'Painting Back to the Future', on: kunstkritikk.com, 14 March 2022
Morris, Kadish, 'Allison Katz. Artery Review', on: theguardian.com, 23 January 2022
Quin, John, 'Art Comes in Spurts. Allison Katz’s Artery', on: thequietus.com, 19 February 2022
Revely-Calder, Cal, 'Allison Katz, Artery, Review. A Zany Show That Puts the Mischief Back in to Painting', on: telegraph.co.uk, 17 January 2022
Santos, Mariana Baião, 'The Artery Is the Mirror of the Soul', on: umbigomagazine.com, 3 March 2022
Spens, Christiana, 'Allison Katz. Artery', on: studiointernational.com, 13 February 2022
'Top 10 Art Exhibitions in London', on: timeout.com, 13 January 2022
Weselowski, Sam, ‘“Artery” – Allison Katz’, in: C Magazine, Issue 151, Spring 2022
Stubbs, Alex, 'Artery at Nottingham Contemporary', on: leftlion.co.uk, 29 June 2021
in: Mousse, no. 73, Fall 2020, pp. 208-215
Carey-Kent, Paul, 'Slow Painting', in: Art Monthly, no. 434, March 2020, ill. on cover and pp. 33-34
Maitland, Hayley, '5 Leading Female Artists on Their Daily Routines & How To Be More Creative Now',
on: vogue.co.uk, 10 March 2020
Sironi, Marta Orsola, 'Il vocabolario visivo di Allison Katz', on: atpdiary.com, 22 September 2020
Watts, Jonathan P., 'What 2020 Taught Us About Smell', on: frieze.com, 3 December 2020
Katz, Allison, La Lettura no. 369, 16 December 2018, ill. on cover
Kramer, Maya, 'With Shanghai’s Busiest Art Month Underway, Highlights of the Best Exhibitions in Town', on: frieze.com, 6 November 2018
Mclaughlin, Rosanna, 'Allison Katz: Posters', in: The White Review, no. 23, ill. on cover and pp. 31-46
McQuaid, Cate, 'Flattening Time’s Tides; A Maid Made in the Shade', in: Boston Globe, 31 May 2018, G3
Reynolds, Pamela, 'Allison Katz – At MIT’s List Center- Plays For Time', on: WBUR.org, 17 May 2018
Bombelli, Illaria, 'Allison Katz’s. AKA', on: art-agenda.com, 16 March 2016
Frenzel, Sebastian, 'Neue Malerei', in: Monopol, no. 10, October 2016, pp. 50-64
Goldstein, Andrew, '10 of the Best Artworks at Art Basel 2016', on: Artspace.com, 15 June 2016
Herbert, Martin, 'Ten Shows to See in March', in: Art Review, March 2016
Lewin, Rebecca, 'Invisible Worlds: Allison Katz', on: Moussemagazine.it, December 2016
Mazzucchelli, Kiki, 'Allison Katz. We boil at different degrees', in: Art Review, December 2016, p. 109 Ponzano, Giulia, '5 Exhibitions to See in October in London', on: atpdiary.com, 22 October 2016
Ravasi, Marta, 'Interview with Allison Katz', on: atpdiary.com, 29 February 2016
Rosenberg, Karen, '10 Standout Painters to Discover from Independent New York 2016', on: Artspace.com, 3 March 2016
Valacchi, Maria Chiara, 'Critics’ Picks: Allison Katz', on: artforum.com, March 2016
Gage, Alexandra, 'Allison Katz. The Artist’s Artist', in: Town and Country, Spring/Summer 2015, p. 94
Heinrich, Will, 'Allison Katz. Human Affections, Vivid Embodiments', in: The New York Art Scene: A
Takashi Murakami Project, Bijutsu Techo 67, no. 1025, October 2015, pp. 80-81
Hoffmann, Annette, 'Von Wüsten, Anspielungen und Schwänen', in: Badische Zeitung, 20 September 2015, S23
Katrib, Ruba, 'Allison Katz. Pungent Painting', in: CURA, no. 20, Fall 2015, ill. on cover and pp. 50-51
Loeffler, Frances, 'Interview with Allison Katz', on: thewhitereview.org, September 2015
Mclaughlin, Rosanna, 'Allison Katz', on: bombmagazine.org, 9 March 2015
Prince, Mark, 'Allison Katz. Kunstverein Freiburg', in: Art in America, December 2015, p. 164
Roeschmann, Dietrich, 'Alles ist in Bewegung', in: Badische Zeitung, 21 September 2015, S7
Smith, Roberta, '15 Groups Shows Not to Miss', in: The New York Times, 30 January 2015, C27
Cwyner, Kari, 'Perra Perdida', on: metropolism.com, 3 February 2014
Markus, David, 'Regardless', in: Flash Art 47, no. 294, January/February 2014, p. 101
Sharp, Chris, 'Bad Painting Gone Wrong', in: Metropolis M, no. 4, August/September 2014, ill. on cover and pp. 38-43
Watts, Jonathan P., 'Adele', on: Curamagazine.com, 28 March 2014
Heinrich, Will, 'I Am the Magic Hand' at Sikkema Jenkins & Co', on: observer.com, 11 June 2013
Hemmingsen, Ann Lisbeth, 'Floristisk kryptografi', in: Billedkunst, 3 April 2013
Little, Henry, 'Notes on Neo–Camp', on: thisistomorrow.info, 24 June 2013
McLean–Ferris, Laura, 'Notes on Neo–Camp', in: Frieze, no.155, May 2013, p. 227
Scrimgeour, Alexander. 'Notes on Neo–Camp', in: Artforum 52, no. 3, November 2013, p. 142
Smith, Roberta, ''I Am the Magic Hand'; Antony: 'The Cut'', in: The New York Times, 28 June 2013: C24
Steadman, Ryan, 'Critic’s Picks. I Am the Magic Hand', on: artforum.com, July 2013
Ulekleiv, Line, '1857 sier det med blomster', on: kunstkritikk.com, 16 April 2013
Harris, Gareth, 'Satellite Fairs Pull in New Dealers and Collectors', in: The Art Newspaper, no. 237, June 2012
McGarry, Kevin, 'Steel Life', on: art-agenda.com, 20 July 2012
Sharp, Chris, 'Allison Katz', in: Kaleidoscope, no.17, Winter 2012-2013, pp. 14-19
Slutsky, Mark, 'Power Moves', in: Montreal Mirror, 28 April 2011, p. 45
Smith, Roberta, 'Allison Katz: 'Le Tit'', in: The New York Times, 2 July 2010, C19
____, ‘It’s Not Dry Yet.’ in: The New York Times, 28 March 2010, AR1, p. 20
Wolf, Alexander, 'Le Tit', on: artinfo.com, 27 May 2010
Jackson, Sascha, 'Ruthless at Battat', in: Montreal Mirror, 30 April 2009, p. 40
Kee, Christina, 'Allison Katz: Ruthless in Chalk Farm at Battat Contemporary', on: artcritical.com, 26 June 2009
Markus, David, 'Allison Katz. You Talk Greasily', on: brooklynrail.org, April 2009
Podcasts
The Art Newspaper, ‘A brush with…Allison Katz’, hosted by Ben Luke, 16 February 2022