Jessi Reaves
Jessi Reaves is an artist based in New York. Known for her multifaceted sculptural practice which blurs the lines between the functional and the aesthetic, she has been the subject of solo exhibitions at institutions including the Arts Club of Chicago; the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; and the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT. Her work is in the collections of the Brandhorst Museum, Munich; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; among others.
Biography
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Jessi Reaves studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating with a BFA degree in 2010.She presented her first solo exhibition at Bridget Donahue, New York in April 2016. In 2017, she participated in the Whitney Biennial. “Rejecting the sleek craftsmanship of iconic midcentury design, Reaves exaggerates markers of construction to an almost aggressive abundance,” note co-curators Christopher Y. Lew and Mia Locks. In 2018, Reaves participated in the 57th Carnegie International at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburg, PA.
- Also in 2018, John Galliano invited Reaves to create raw, deconstructed sculptures for Maison Margiela's SS18 couture runway collection.
- Reaves was appointed Fall 2020 Teiger Mentor in the Arts at Cornell University - AAP program.
Exhibitions
Selected solo exhibitions
2024- Reflect as One, Galerie Crèvecoeur 5 & 7 rue de Beaune, Paris, France, April 25 - July 20
- Above the cold, San Carlo Cremona, Cremona, Italy, October 6 - December 31
- All possessive lusts dispelled, The Arts Club of Chicago, February 15 - May 20
- At the well, Bridget Donahue, New York, New York, September 15 - November 17
- Jessi Reaves & Bradley Kronz: The Label Lied, High Art, Arles, France, February 26 - April 16
- Wild Life: Elizabeth Murray & Jessi Reaves, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
- Wild Life: Elizabeth Murray & Jessi Reaves, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Houston, Texas
- Going out in style, Herald Street, London, United Kingdom, November 14 - January 25, 2019
- II, Bridget Donahue, New York, New York, March 14 - May 12
- Kitchen Arrangement within The Domestic Plane: New Perspectives on Tabletop Art Objects, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield,CT, May 20 - January 13, 2019
- android stroll, Herald St, London, United Kingdom, September 30 - November 12
- 31 Candles Jessi Reaves featuring Bradley Kronz & Jessi Reaves
- , Dorich House Museum, Kingston University, London, United Kingdom, September 7 - November 4
- Ginny Casey and Jessi Reaves, Institute of *Contemporary Art Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 28 - August 6
- Jessi Reaves, Bridget Donahue, New York, New York, April 10 - June 5
- Now Showing: Jessi Reaves, Sculpture Center, Long Island City, New York, January 24 - April 4
Selected group exhibitions
2024 Café Crèvecoeur, Galerie Crèvecoeur, Montesquiou, July 5 - July 31
These Mad Hybrids: John Hoyland and Contemporary Sculpture, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, UK, February 3 - May 12
SHINE ON, Sadie Coles HQ, London, United Kingdom, February 15 - April 27
The New Village: Ten Years of New York Fashion, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, January 22 - March 16
2023 Home is Where You’re Happy, Haus Mödrath - Räume Für Kunst, Kerpen, Germany, October 8 - August 25, 2024
Solstice, Galerie Crevecoeur, Paris, France, November 11, 2023 - January 27, 2024
darling, your head’s not right, curated by Danica Lundy, François Ghebaly, New York, New York, July 5 - September 15
Customs Cars Cultures, curated by Kyle Thurman, UncleBrother, Hancock, New York, July 1 - September 4
Ecstatic: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, California, June 10 - August 27
A Study in Form, curated by Arden Wohl, James Fuentes, New York, New York, May 3 - June 3
At Gate, Blue Velvet Projects, Zurich, Switzerland, March 11 - April 8
From Andy Warhol to Kara Walker. Scenes from the Collection, Brandhorst Museum, Munich, Germany, February 28 - July 14, 2024
2022 The odds are good, the goods are odd, Lisson Gallery, New York, New York, June 29 - August 6
Catechism, Bridget Donahue, New York, New York, June 8 - July 29
2021 DOG, Company, New York, New York, June 4 - July 10
Finding Our Way, Lumber Room, Portland, Oregon, March 14 - May 3
2020 Via dell’Inferno, Herald St at Galleria Spazia, Bologna, Italy
Akeem Smith: No Gyal Can Test, Red Bull Arts New York, New York, September 24 - November 15
2019 Slant Step Forward, Verge Center for the Arts, Sacramento, California, September 12 - October 27
Il est une fois dans l’Ouest, Frac Nouvelle-Aquitaine MÉCA, Bordeaux, France, June 29 - November 9
Perverse Furniture, Artspace, New Haven, Connecticut, May 19 - June 29
2018 Carnegie International, 57th Edition, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 13 - March 25, 2019
Eckhaus Latta: Possessed, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, August 3 - October 8
SI ONSITE, Swiss Institute, New York, New York, semi-permanent installation, beginning
The Phantom of Liberty: Contemporary Works in the RISD Museum Collection, RISD Museum, Providence, Rhode Island, May 4 - December 30
99 BOWERY 2ND FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10002 USA BRIDGETDONAHUE.NYC
Sit-In, September Gallery, Hudson, New York, April 7 - May 20
Loopstar Future Feel Good: Jessi Reaves, Mother Culture, Los Angeles, California, March 2 - April 30
2017 Interiors, Galerie Maria Bernheim, Zurich, Switzerland, November 1 - February 23, 2018
Steps to Aeration, Tanya Leighton, Berlin, Germany, July 8 - September 1
Midtown, Lever House, organized by Maccarone and Salon 94, New York, New York, May 3 - June 9
Liminal Focus, Barbara Mathes Gallery, New York, New York, April 26 - June 30
Whitney Biennial 2017, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, March 17 -June 11
Ruins in the Snow, High Art, Paris, France, February 22 - April 1
Looking Back/ The 11th White Columns Annual, White Columns, New York, January 14 - March 4
2016 A Cautionary Tale: Jessi Reaves and Bradley Kronz, A Palazzo Gallery, Brescia, Italy, December 15 - January 25, 2017
Dolores, Team Gallery, New York, New York, September 8 - October 9
Outside, Karma, Amagansett, New York, September 3–25
Gallery Share, Off Vendome, New York, New York, May 5
Bloody Life, Herald Street, London, England, April 24 - May 29
Design & Crime, Éric Hussenot, Paris, France, April 23 - June 4
Real Fine Arts Presents, New York, 809 Washington Street, New York, New York, March 2–6
Jessi Reaves & Sophie Stone: How to Remove Stains, Del Vaz Projects, Los Angeles, California, January 15 - April 15
2015 Natural Flavor, Ludlow 38, New York, New York, November 12 - December 13
Swiss Institute Annual Architecture and Design Series: Second Edition, ‘Pavillon De L’Esprit Nouveau: A 21st Century Show Home’, curated by
Felix Burrichter, New York, New York, September 25 - November 8
Summer Group Show, Germantown, New York, curated by Matt Moravec and Taylor Trabulus, August 29–30
Panic Pants, Essex Flowers, New York, New York, June 28 - August 2
Living Rooms, Old Room Gallery, New York, New York, curated by Josh Kline, February 7 - March 7
Paramount Ranch, Shoot the Lobster Gallery, Los Angeles, California, January 31 - February 1
Das Gesamtsexwerk, M/L Art Space, Brooklyn, New York, January 17
2014 Seau Banco Carbon, Bed Stuy Love Affair Gallery, New York, New York, December 22 - January 2
La Casa del Cazu Merzu, Shoot the Lobster Gallery, New York, New York, September 19 - October 19
American Basketry, Bed Stuy Love Affair, New York, New York, August 15 - September 6
My Old Friend, My New Friend, My Girlfriend, My Cousin and My Mentor, Shoot the Lobster Gallery, New York, New York, curated by JPW3,
May 29 - June 29
Selected press
2024 Rémi Guezodje, “Jessi Reaves, de l’inattention à l’inattendu”, Libération,https://www.liberation.fr/culture/arts/art-contemporain/jessi-reaves-de-linattention-alinattendu-20240710_4WN7BOJBAJB3JOH2N4OAI4H6TQ/
“Jessi Reaves: Reflect as one”, The Art Newspaper, Edition Française,,
https://www.artnewspaper.fr/2024/05/17/gestes-simples-art-tantrique-et-rencontres-improbables
Aarthi Mohan, “In search of the sublime: The multifaceted artistry of Jessi Reaves”, STIRpad,
https://www.stirpad.com/news/stir-news/in-search-of-the-sublime-the-multifaceted-artistry-of-jessi-reaves/?
utm_source=search_bar&utm_medium=stirpad_search.
Ada O’Higgins, “A Stitch in Time”, Artforum, online and in print May 2024, pp. 11–12
https://www.artforum.com/columns/ada-ohiggins-the-new-village-552341/
2023 Anna Frattini, “Jessi Reaves Continues to Challenge the Boundary Between Art and Design”, Collater.al,
https://www.collater.al/en/jessi-reaves-above-the-cold-san-carlo-cremona-art-design/
Lori Waxman, “To sit or not to sit: Jessi Reaves shows her furniture sculptures in ‘All possessive lusts dispelled’ at the Arts Club”,
Chicago Tribune, https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ent-jessi-reaves-arts-club-review-20230430
bcbqe2qucrae7fzhl556k5grky-story.html
Vasia Rigou, “Decadent Design: A Review of Jessi Reaves’ “All possessive lusts dispelled” at the Arts Club of Chicago”, New City Art
, https://art.newcity.com/2023/02/27/decadent-design-takes-center-stage-a-review-of-jessi-reaves-all-possessive-lusts
dispelled-at-the-arts-club-of-chicago/
2022 Em Rooney, "The Artists’ Artists: Twenty-six artists reflect on 2022" Artforum,,
https://www.artforum.com/print/202210/twenty-six-artists-reflect-on-2022-89662
Brainard Carey, "Jessi Reaves Interview", Yale University Radio,
https://museumofnonvisibleart.com/interviews/jessi-reaves/
Cassie Packard, "Review: Jessi Reaves", Artforum, November, 2022, p. 188-189
C. Reinhardt, “New York — Jessi Reaves: ‘At the well’ at Bridget Donahue Through November 19”, Art Observed,
http://artobserved.com/2022/10/new-york-jessi-reaves-at-the-well-at-bridget-donahue-through-november-19th-2022/
Johanna Fateman, "Jessi Reaves", The New Yorker, https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/art/jessi-reaves-2022
2021 Octavia Bürgel, "Jessi Reaves Leaves it dirty", 032 https://032c.com/jessi-reaves-leaves-it-dirty
99 BOWERY 2ND FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10002 USA BRIDGETDONAHUE.NYC
2020 Yxta Maya Murray, “Artful Volumes: Bookforum Contributors on the Season’s Outstanding Art Books: Wildlife: Elizabeth Murray and
Jessi Reaves”, Bookforum, https://www.bookforum.com/print/2704/the-season-s-outstanding-art-books-24278
Jessi Reaves, Gaetano Pesce, "It's Alive! The Amorphous Imaginary of Gaetano Pesce", SSENSE,
https://www.ssense.com/en-us/editorial/art/its-alive-the-amorphous-imaginary-of-gaetano-pesce
Rachel Hahn, “Lou Dallas Celebrated Valentine’s Day by Bringing Fragonard’s Most Famous Painting to Life”, Vogue,
https://www.vogue.com/vogueworld/article/lou-dallas-raffaella-hanley-valentines-day-decor-band-jessi-reaves-live-sculpture-public-arts
2019 Leah Singer, Jessi Reaves, Apartamento Issue #24 169-183
Chris Wiley, “The Beguiling Work of Jessi Reaves”, Frieze, https://frieze.com/article/beguiling-work-jessi-reaves
“Freedom of Expression”, RISDXYZ, 13
Tiffany Lambert, “Trash Aesthetics” Pin-Up, 250-255
Kathy Leonard Czepiel, “Unsettling In”, Daily Nutmeg,
http://dailynutmeg.com/2019/05/23/perverse-furniture-artspace-unsettling-in/
Brian Slattery, “Artspace Gets Perverse”, New Haven Independent,
https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/artspace_perverse_furniture/
Eliza Barry, "Jessi Reaves: II”, Brooklyn Rail, https://brooklynrail.org/2019/05/artseen/Jessi-Reaves-II
Meredith Mendelsohn, "Jessi Reaves”, Sculpture Magazine, https://sculpturemagazine.art/jessi-reaves/
Holland Cotter, “Over 40 Art Shows to See Right Now - Spring Gallery Guide: Below and Above Canal Street”, The New York Times
, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/26/arts/design/gallery-guide-canal-street.html
Keshav Anand, “Jessi Reaves: Bringing Eccentricity To The Domestic”, Something Curated
“Reaves’ Wondrous Wreckage” Our RISD
Alina Cohen, “5 Standout New York Exhibitions to See This April”, Artsy
“8 New York Art Exhibitions Not To Miss This April: Jessi Reaves II”, Something Curated
Johanna Fateman, “Jessi Reaves”, The New Yorker
Antonia Marsh, “Antonia Marsh: The Absurdist Sculpture of Jessi Reaves”, AnOther Magazine
“Works By Park McArthur, Alex Da Corte, Huma Bhaba, and More Enter Carnegie Museum of Art Collection”, Artforum
“9 Art Events in New York: Jessi Reaves, Gary Indiana, Barthélémy Toguo, and More”, ARTnews,
http://www.artnews.com/2019/03/11/9-art-events-nyc-jessi-reaves-gary-indiana-barthelemy-toguo/
Scott Turri, “Same Ol’ Carnegie”, New Art Examiner, volume 33
2018 Maria Savostyanova, “Reaves’s Beads”, Interior+Design, 208
Alix Browne, “T Introduces Jessi Reaves”, T Magazine - The New York Times, 47-48
Glenn Adamson, “Sculpture To Dwell On”, Art in America, 71-77
Whitney Bauck, “If Eckhaus Latta’s Whitney Museum Exhibition Is A Scam, It’s A Good One”, Fashionista,
https://fashionista.com/2018/08/eckhaus-latta-possessed-whitney-museum-exhibit
Andrea Valluzzo, “Aldrich to survey tabletop art in The Domestic Plane”, Stratford Star,
https://www.stratfordstar.com/80962/aldrich-to-survey-tabletop-art-in-the-domestic-plane/
Felix Burrichter, Jack Chiles, Marc Matchak, “Mental Furniture”, Pin-Up, Issue 24
Sarah Rafson, “57th Carnegie International will bring artists who engage spatial politics around the world”, Architects Newspaper,
https://archpaper.com/2018/04/57th-carnegie-international-pittsburgh/#gallery-0-slide-0
Amy Serafin, “Ottoman Empire”, Wallpaper, 147-153
Alex Greenberger, “Here’s the Artist List for the 2018 Carnegie International”, ArtNews,
http://www.artnews.com/2018/04/11/heres-artist-list-2018-carnegie-international/
Kieron Marchese, “John Galliano Invites Sculptor Jessi Reaves to Create Raw, Deconstructed Pieces at Maison Margiela SS18”, Designboom
, https://www.designboom.com/design/maison-margiela-ss18-john-galliano-jessi-reaves-01-25-2018/
Elizabeth Paton, “At Maison Margiela, a Sculptor and a Designer Unite”, The New York Times,
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/fashion/maison-margiela-john-galliano-jessi-reaves.html?referer=
2017 Silvia Sgualdini, “Jessi Reaves and Bradley Kronz Dorich House Museum/ London”, Flash Art, no. 50
Josephine Graf, “Nicola L.”Frieze
Eliza Barry, “A Chair Is A Chair Is A Sculpture: On Jessi Reaves and the Decorative Unconscious”, Columbia University
Roberta Smith, “The Met’s Rei Kawakubo Show, Dressed for Defiance”, The New York Times
Ruba Katrib, “A Cautionary Tale by Bradley Kronz and Jessi Reaves”, Document, No. 10, 220 - 227
Johanna Fateman, “Rights and Privileges: Johanna Fateman on the 2017 Whitney Biennial”, Artforum, 296-302
Cat Kron, “Ginny Casey and Jessi Reaves”, Artforum
Gesine Borcherdt, “Form Versus Function”, Blau, No. 17, featured on cover, 48-53
Chris Sharp and Genevieve Yu, “Double Take - Whitney Biennial”, Art Agenda,
http://www.art-agenda.com/reviews/double-take%E2%80%94whitney-biennial-2017/
Evan Moffitt, “Waste Land”, Frieze
Novembre Magazine, Issue 11, spread featuring sculpture by Jessi Reaves, fashion by Lou Dallas, 254-258
Michele D’Aurizio, “Jessi Reaves and Bradley Kronz”, Flash Art, No. 331
Roberta Smith, “What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week: Looking Back: The 11th White Columns Annual”, The New York
Times
99 BOWERY 2ND FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10002 USA BRIDGETDONAHUE.NYC
Geneva Bria, “The Warning of Jessi Reaves and Bradley Kronz: Brescia”, Artribune
2016 Natasha Stagg, “Curve Appeal”, Pin-Up Magazine, Issue 21, 73
Robin Pogrebin, “Here Comes the Whitney Biennial, Reflecting the Tumult of the Times”, The New York Times
Gaetano Pesce and Jessi Reaves, edited by Marco Braunschweiler, “Introducing: Conversations Between Two Artists Who Have Never Met
Before”, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles: Stream,
http://www.moca.org/stream/post/introducing-gaetano-pesce-and-jessi-reaves
Eric Sutphin, “Jessi Reaves”, Art in America, p. 144
“Jessi Reaves at Bridget Donahue”, Contemporary Art Writing Daily,
http://www.artwritingdaily.com/2016/06/jessi-reaves-at-bridget-donahue.html?m=1
Christie Chu, “10 Millennial Artists to Watch in 2016: Jessi Reaves”, Artnet News,
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/10-millennial-artists-watch-2016-511961
Kavior Moon, “Jessi Reaves and Sophie Stone”, Artforum, 405
David Ebony, “David Ebony’s Top 10 New York Gallery Shows for May”, Artnet News
Claire Voon, “The Visual Indulgences of Furniture Made From Scraps”, Hyperallergic
D. Creahan, “New York - Jessi Reaves at Bridget Donahue Through June 5th, 2016”, Art Observed
Leigh Anne Miller, “Lookout: Jessi Reaves”, Art in America
“Jessi Reaves”, The New Yorker
Sam Korman, “Jessi Reaves”, Flash Art, Issue 307
Roberta Smith, “Lower East Side As Petri Dish”, The New York Times, C29
Katherine Cusumano, “Domestic Ills: Sculptor Jessi Reaves Elevates Furniture By Making It Weirder”, W Magazine
John Zane Zappas, “Jessi Reaves & Sophie Stone at Del Vaz Projects”, Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles,
http://contemporaryartreview.la/jessi-reaves-sophie-stoneat-del-vaz-projects/
Eckhaus Latta, “Sightlines”, Art in America, 37
Jessi Reaves, “Biopic: The story behind an artwork, in the artist’s own words”, Modern Painters, 47
Josephine Graf, “An Ideological Revision of Furniture Design: Josephine Graf in Conversation with Jessi Reaves”, Mousse Magazine,
, 230 - 237
2015 Julia Trotta, “Scrap Queen”, Pin-Up Magazine, Issue 19, 52 - 53
Carson Chan, “The Great Indoors: Show Home”, Pin-Up Magazine, Issue 19, 209 - 225
Kate Messinger, “6 Contemporary Female Sculptors to Know ”, Man Repeller,
http://www.manrepeller.com/best_of_internet/6-contemporary-female-sculptors-to-know.html
Lyndsy Welgos, “Summer Group Show”, Topical Cream, http://topicalcream.info/blog/summer-group-show/
“Featured Artist: Jessi Reaves”, SculptureNotebook, http://www.sculpture-center.org/exhibitionsCuratorsNotebook.htm
“Jessi Reaves”, interview with Bridget Donahue, Foundations, No. 3, 26 - 33