Amy Cutler, Fossa, 2016. Graphite on paper, 55 ¼ x 47 in. Courtesy of Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects.

AMY CUTLER: PAST, PRESENT, PROGRESS4.6.23 TO 2.25.24STUDIO

Amy Cutler (b. 1974, Poughkeepsie, NY) is known for her detailed, surreal depictions of women involved in arduous and mysterious tasks. For over two decades, she has created beguiling images that only hint at unknown and open-ended stories, inviting endless interpretations. Reflecting influences as wide-ranging as global textiles, Persian miniatures and nineteenth-century photography and engaging with subjects as broad as animals of all kinds, failed utopia and preindustrial devices, Cutler’s works are otherworldly. Yet, they serve as visual metaphors for very real societal conditions or personal experiences. As mysterious as her images can be, hiding in plain sight are representations of particular traits and concepts identified by the artist. Amy Cutler: Past, Present, Progress focuses on three recurring motifs—hair, heads and horses—to explore how they are used for different effect and purpose.

Installation view of Amy Cutler: Past, Present, Progressive.
Installation view of Amy Cutler: Past, Present, Progressive.
Amy Cutler, in collaboration with Emily Wells and Adriana Papaleo, Fossa, 2015 © Amy Cutler, Linda Pace Foundation Collection, Ruby City, San Antonio, Texas, Gift of Amy Cutler

Typical for Cutler, these motifs may have multiple associations, but each suggests a distinct condition. Long braids of hair signal the passage of time and a connection to the past, while heads, detached or opened to reveal an inner mental landscape, imply a present state of being. Horses, given their association with transportation, allude to transition and are emblematic of progress or movement forward. Amy Cutler: Past, Present, Progress is the artist’s first solo presentation in Texas and serves as a snapshot overview of her practice.  Three new paintings as well as earlier examples, along with prints, drawings and an elaborate interactive installation will intrigue and stimulate with their detailed, enigmatic composition.

Amy Cutler, in collaboration with Emily Wells and Adriana Papaleo, Fossa (detail photo), 2015 © Amy Cutler, Linda Pace Foundation Collection, Ruby City, San Antonio, Texas, Gift of Amy Cutler

Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1974, Amy Cutler lives and works in New York. She has had solo exhibitions at numerous national and international venues, including Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, Wisconsin; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska; The Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland; Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia; Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach; Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara, California; Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, West Virginia; Museo Nacional Reina Sofía, Madrid; and Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana. Her work is in the collections of Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara, California; Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland; Deutsche Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Hallmark Collection, Kansas City, Missouri; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Indianapolis Museum of Art; JP Morgan Chase, New York; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; New York Public Library, New York; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; The Menil Collection, Houston; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Morgan Library & Museum, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, among others.