Em Kettner
Biography
One-Man Show, 2024
Em Kettner (b. 1988, Philadelphia, PA) is an artist and writer based in Richmond, CA. Her celebratory, figurative sculptures and drawings on tile subvert stereotypes by portraying disabled bodies in a range of humorous, erotic, and powerful postures. Centered around themes of intimacy and interdependence, Kettner’s meticulously crafted works feature intricate cotton weavings, expertly sculpted porcelain bodies, and hand-carved wooden supports.
Recent solo exhibitions include François Ghebaly, New York (2024), Los Angeles (2022, 2021); Chapter, New York (2022); Specialist, Seattle (2022); Goldfinch, Chicago (2020); and Harpy, Rutherford (2018). Kettner’s work has been reviewed and published in ArtForum, Art in America, Sculpture Magazine, Contemporary Art Review LA (CARLA), HyperAllergic, Sixty Inches From Center, Institutional Model, and Fulcrum Arts: Sequencing. She is the recipient of the Wynn Newhouse Award, the MIUSA Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability, and an SAIC Teaching Fellowship. Kettner earned her BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Recent solo exhibitions include François Ghebaly, New York (2024), Los Angeles (2022, 2021); Chapter, New York (2022); Specialist, Seattle (2022); Goldfinch, Chicago (2020); and Harpy, Rutherford (2018). Kettner’s work has been reviewed and published in ArtForum, Art in America, Sculpture Magazine, Contemporary Art Review LA (CARLA), HyperAllergic, Sixty Inches From Center, Institutional Model, and Fulcrum Arts: Sequencing. She is the recipient of the Wynn Newhouse Award, the MIUSA Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability, and an SAIC Teaching Fellowship. Kettner earned her BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Works
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Hephaestus in the Hollow, 2024 -
The Spectre + The Brotherhood, 2024
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One-Man Show, 2024
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The Crawl, 2024
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Open the Window, 2023
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Hot Shower, 2023
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The Kiss, 2022
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The Twin Bed, 2022
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Handrail (The Cabaret), 2022
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The Comedians' Bed, 2022
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Night Visitor, 2022
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The Golden Spokes (autumn wheelchair), 2022
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Mirror, Mirror, 2021
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The Cross, 2021
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The Invalids, 2020
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The Mending Bed, 2020
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The Sycophant, 2019
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The Afterbirth, 2019
Installation Views
Installation view, Em Kettner, Homebound, 2024
François Ghebaly, New York, USA
Exhibitions
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Em Kettner
Homebound January 20 - February 24, 2024 391 Grand St., New YorkFrançois Ghebaly is proud to present Homebound , American multimedia artist Em Kettner’s first exhibition at the gallery’s New York space. In Homebound , Kettner offers the latest iteration in...Read more -
Em Kettner
The Understudies April 2 - May 7, 2022 2245 E Washington Blvd., Los AngelesFrancois Ghebaly is proud to present Em Kettner’s The Understudies , the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. This exhibition showcases a selection of glazed porcelain tiles that together,...Read more -
Em Kettner
Slow Poke June 26 - July 24, 2021 2245 E Washington Blvd., Los AngelesFrancois Ghebaly is proud to present Em Kettner’s Slow Poke , the artist’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles. Em Kettner’s sculptures joyously reimagine the disabled body. She works at...Read more
Press
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How a Doctor’s Unsolicited Advice About Artist Em Kettner’s Disability Inspired Her Latest Exhibition
Sarah Faux, Cultured, January 30, 2024 -
Em Kettner: Sickbeds, stragglers, and supplicants
Bert Stabler, Institutional Model, March 5, 2023 -
Em Kettner
Chris Murtha, Sculpture Magazine, December 6, 2022 -
Em Kettner on Sculpting Disability, Dependency, and Court Jesters
Emily Watlington, Art in America, July 16, 2021 -
June Editor’s Picks
CARLA, June 30, 2021 -
Critic's Picks: Em Kettner at François Ghebaly
Daniel Gerwin, Artforum, June 26, 2021 -
Review: Em Kettner’s Play the Fool, at Goldfinch
Amanda Dee, Sixty Inches From Center, November 26, 2020 -
Em Kettner creates elaborate casings for her sacred sculptures
S. Nicole Lane, Chicago Reader, November 18, 2020
News
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DOCTOR, DOCTOR
An an interactive storybook by Em Kettner July 12, 2024 Read more -
Interview: Em Kettner
In Conversation with Wesley Hardin on her Solo Exhibition "Homebound" February 17, 2024Wesley Hardin: You know, and I really can’t say that this is always the case, I feel the need to issue a sort of preliminary...Read more
Inquiry