NATALE ADGNOT

ARTIST STATEMENT

"I use abstract sculpture to explore bias and faulty perception as byproducts of a monocultural upbringing. At its core, my practice is a dismantling of the dogma of my childhood. The daughter of a horse trainer in Texas, I was raised with little awareness of the world beyond my town and church. My exposure to different cultures and viewpoints came later while living in France and Japan.

A metaphor for my yearning to bridge cultural gaps in understanding, my work combines materials that tell my life story. Western-style clothing and horsehair represent my childhood in Texas. Cotton muslin, a fashion prototyping staple, is representative of my decade living in Paris and working in couture. Kimono silk and gold thread (deployed as a stand-in for the gold lacquer used in kintsugi) are a nod to the three years I spent living in Japan. And finally, the feather-like protrusions, horse hooves, and other shapes I affix to many of my sculptures are made of thermoplastic, a versatile and shape-shifting material that represents my current life in New York City where people are free to take many forms.."

NATALE ADGNOT

BIO

Natale Adgnot is a Franco-American artist who uses abstract sculpture and installation to explore cognitive bias and logical fallacy. Best known for wall sculptures made of painted thermoplastic adhered perpendicularly onto panels, she increasingly incorporates a variety of materials that are emblematic of her personal history into her work.

Adgnot earned a BFA in graphic design in Texas and studied fashion in Paris, eventually becoming a dual American/French citizen. Her experience making garments for haute couture runways led her to focus on sculpture. Later, while living in Japan, she began using thermoplastic (an artist-grade shrink plastic) to work three-dimensionally.

She has been featured in solo and two-person exhibitions in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. Group exhibitions include SPRING/BREAK, “Black & White” at BWAC juried by Jenée-Daria Strand of the Brooklyn Museum, and “I was not born alone” at Transmitter. Her work has appeared in Hyperallergic, Whitehot Magazine, Art Spiel, The Japan Times, and more. Adgnot is also the owner and director of the seasonal art gallery N/A Project Space and a co-director of Underdonk gallery in Manhattan. She lives and works in Brooklyn and New Paltz, New York.