Kate Pincus-Whitney, Hecate and the Muses, 2022; Limited Edition Print
Kate Pincus-Whitney (b. 1993, Santa Monica, CA) is a Los Angeles-based painter investigating how cultural objects and engagement shape the psychological self—most specifically, through the theater of the dinner table and the interplay of its relational complexities. Her dense, energetic still lifes overflow with cultural ephemera, treats, and characters in a bold, unapologetic color palette splashed with painterly details and flourishes. Pincus-Whitney received her MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2020 and her BA from Sarah Lawrence College in 2016. The artist’s work has been featured in a number of publications including Art in America and Artnews among others. and she is part of the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Art and Design. Recent exhibitions include The Gods are in the Kitchen at Fredericks & Freiser (New York, NY); Now What? At PM/AM (London, UK); and Paradise a la Carte at GNYP (Berlin, DE), among others.
Hecate and the Muses is loaded with personal and mythical touchstones, yet is still a slice of the breadth of influences Kate Pincus-Whitney draws from in her work. Diagnosed dyslexic and stereoblind (unable to perceive three-dimensional depth) as a child, Pincus-Whitney conjures meaning and dialogue through the arrangement of objects and characters that enliven her neon tablescapes. Depth is created through the complex layering and collage of the visual elements that bunch and pull the checkered tablecloths underlying each of the objects. A trio of eccentric busts wielding fiery torches, Hecate and her muses are, highlighted with the artist’s characteristic painterly verve in the same vibrant blues, greens and pinks scattered throughout the composition. Two portraits of the artist and her partner, represented in comparably Grecian aesthetics, are tucked between the crowded plates and bottles swirling about the composition. Classical symbols like her partner’s crown of apples and the poppies that fall across her chest and in her hair, speak to themes of creation, memory, muses and myth in the formation of our collective unconscious. The artist has hand-embellished the edition with painted details in the borders and throughout the scene, making each print unique.
“I’m so excited to make this print for City Harvest and help people in our communities feel loved and valued,” shared Pincus-Whitney on the collaboration. “The organization means the world to me because of what being able to provide a meal represents. What does it mean to feed someone or invite them into one’s personal space to share a meal? How does it impact relationships? Food is not only subsistence, but also love, care, connection, and community—an essential part of what my work explores.”
ART FOR CHANGE will donate a portion of proceeds from each print sold to City Harvest in support of the organization’s work providing fresh and nutritious food to New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity throughout the five boroughs. As in all series, artists will receive 50% of the net proceeds of print sales.
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*Unframed prints ship within 1-3 weeks.
*Framed prints ship within 3-6 weeks.