Beth Katleman
Beth Katleman’s sculptures and installations have been described by Ken Johnson in the New York Times as “doll-sized rococo theaters of murder and domestic mayhem”. At first glance, her installations evoke a world of luxury and genteel pleasure, but a closer look reveals a more subversive agenda. She creates allegories drawn from pop culture, fairy tales and classic literature. As she casts found objects in porcelain and arranges them into ornate tableaus, strange tales emerge, often touching on themes of lost innocence or domestic disturbances. Porcelain suggests both the opulence of European high craft and the exuberance of kitsch souvenirs. The narratives flow from this duality, poised between consumption and desire.
She is represented in many public and private collections in the U.S. and abroad, including the M.H. de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA, the RISD Museum, Providence, RI, the Ci Kim Arario Gallery Collection, Seoul, South Korea, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI, Right Management, Philadelphia, PA and the Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT, among others. In 2013, Katleman recently completed large-scale commissions for Dior flagships London and Hong Kong.