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Karyn Olivier: Seep

waste as art
  • Exhibition: Seep
    Nov. 1–Dec. 15
    List Gallery
  • Artist’s Lecture
    Wednesday, Nov. 1, 4:30-5:30 p.m
    Lang Performing Arts Center Cinema
  • Artist’s Reception
    Wednesday, Nov. 1, 5:30–7 p.m.
    List Gallery

Born in 1968 in Trinidad and Tobago, Karyn Olivier is an artist who transforms ordinary objects and public spaces. Often repurposing materials from the waste stream, her sculptures and installations engage viewers with a range of issues, including the plight of international refugees, the legacy of slavery, the role of public monuments, and unsustainable construction practices. Her works can be simultaneously poignant and whimsical, inviting viewers to reconsider their relationships to history and the built environment. Olivier has exhibited internationally, including at the Gwangju and Busan biennials; the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture in Dakar, Senegal; The Studio Museum in Harlem; The Whitney Museum of American Art; and MoMA PS1. Her solo exhibitions have been presented at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; and Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis.