Zoe Buckman

Zoe Buckman is a New York-based multidisciplinary artist who works in textiles, photography, sculpture and installation. She recently had a solo exhibition at New York’s Garis & Hahn gallery and participated in the revelatory Africa’s Out benefit at the Gladstone Gallery. We talked to Buckman about her visionary work and her favorite artists.

How would you describe your creative vision?

I work across different disciplines including sculpture, neon, photography, installation, and embroidery. My work has tended to explore ideas around mortality, feminism, and equality-- with my latest body of work, Every Curve, an installation that explores the complicated relationship between Hip-hop and Feminism in my upbringing.

How’d you go about turning this vision into a reality?

I decided to take lyrics from Biggie and Tupac tracks that refer to women and hand-embroider them onto antique lingerie. The garments hang on invisible thread creating an installation that the viewer can walk through, stopping as they please to take in the stitched text.

What artists working today do you love?

I love Hank Willis Thomas, Wangechi Mutu, and Toyin Odutola. I am lucky to call these people friends too. I'm also a huge fan of Sophie Calle, Kiki Smith, and Taryn Simon.

How’d you learn how to embroider? Is it a family thing?

I started doing some hand-embroidery when I was about fifteen. I was self-taught and only used it to embellish my jeans and stuff like that... I then re-learned it two years ago when I decided that embroidery would be the most effective way of displaying the very masculine text in a historically feminine way. The practice of embroidery and quilting is deeply rooted in Feminist art as well as the every day lives of many women throughout history, so it feels like the right medium for Every Curve.

Every Curve will be shown in its entirety at Buckman’s first LA solo show in February 2016 at PAPILLION GALLERY. See more work at zoebuckman.com and follow her at @zoebuckman.