New Limited EditionsHello Museum

For sale inquiries, please email limitededitions@newmuseum.org.

Kaari Upson
Mirror box, 2018
Crystal selenite-resin composite, opaline, aluminum, quartz, and tourmaline on painted urethane base
Approx. 18 1/2 × 13 3/8 × 7 3/4 in (47 × 34 × 19.7 cm) overall; base: 15 3/4 × 12 × 5 3/8 in (40 × 30.5 × 13.7 cm)
Series of 12 unique variants, each signed and dated
Courtesy the artist, Massimo De Carlo, and Sprüth Magers

Own one of twelve unique sculptures by Kaari Upson, whose exhibition Good thing you are not alone was named one of the best of 2017 by the New York Times.

Kaari Upson weaves together elements of fantasy, physical and psychological trauma, and the often-fraught pursuit of the American dream. Her objects give form to the collective desires, neuroses, and vulnerabilities that haunt our national subconscious. Upson’s sculptures resembling jagged teeth, such as the work offered here, stem from her investigation into the interdependent relationship between herself and her mother. A powerful bite is common to most animal (and human) mothers, a characteristic that Upson casts as both helpful and harmful. She has cast crystal in clear resin to form glittering yet grotesque renderings of human teeth, their crowns recalling the bases of plastic soda bottles as they extend into delicate selenite roots. The plinth for the work is created from locally sourced Costco boxes: Upson empties their bulk contents and casts urethane cubes from their voids. Here, as in much of the artist’s recent work, her personal memories are bound up with uncanny artifacts of the obsessive consumer desires that characterize American life. This surreal, spectacular work is a powerful example of Upson’s visionary sculptural approach. Each piece in this edition is unique and individually painted and cast.