Nancy Shaver

Nancy Shaver’s daily observations are the starting point for her relational objects. The interplay of color, texture and form is considered with a critical eye in the artist’s sculptures, which describe and expand upon the world, creating pathways for discovery through sharp combinations of painted paper, commonplace fabric, and the occasional, carefully selected found object or antique textile. The resulting bodies of work, generally categorized as Blockers, Boxes, Spacers or Sentinels hint at the narrative potential of materials while remaining ambiguously coded for individual consumption.

Nancy Shaver (b. 1946 in Appleton, NY) lives and works in Jefferson, NY. Select solo and two-person exhibitions include New work, floor and table models, (on the floor), Derek Eller Gallery, New York, NY (2022); Copper and Propane, a photograph: what it is and what it isn’t, F, Houston, TX (2022); Blockers, Spacers and Scribble Drawings 2020 (2021), Parker Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; fastness, slowness and Monstrous Beauty, Derek Eller Gallery, New York, NY (2020); Gathering texture, following form (with Emi Winter), Parker Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2019); Alex Olson and Nancy Shaver: Waters, 12.26, Dallas, TX; A part of a part of part, Derek Eller Gallery, New York, NY (2018); Nancy Shaver: Reconciliation, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT (2015); Feature, Inc., New York, NY (2002-2011) and Curt Marcus Gallery, New York, NY (1987-1999). Select group exhibitions include Coming Across: Expression and Empowerment, Analog Diary, Inc., Beacon, NY (2023); Wolf Tones: A Many-Sided House, Oakville Galleries, Gairloch Gardens, Oakville, ON (2023); She Dances Like A Bomb, curated by Debra Baxter and Dawn Cerny, form & concept, Santa Fe, NM (2021); Broken Dishes (curated by the artist), Soloway, Brooklyn, NY (2021); One Day at a Time: Manny Farber and Termite Art, MOCA, Los Angeles, CA (2018); Outliers and American Vanguard Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (2018); VIVA ARTE VIVA, 57th International Exhibition of Art, La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy (2017); Greater New York, MoMA PS1, Long Island City, NY (2015); and Robert Gober: The Heart is Not a Metaphor, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (2014).