Meet Me in New York: Patricia Ayres
The artist introduces her fleshy sculptural practice and takes a trip from the Garment District to SoHo, sourcing materials to stain and stitch
The artist introduces her fleshy sculptural practice and takes a trip from the Garment District to SoHo, sourcing materials to stain and stitch
‘Being a New Yorker means being resilient, being resourceful, especially as an artist in New York. You must hustle. You find out how to make things happen.’
In this video, artist Patricia Ayres takes a journey through New York as she sources materials for her sculptures, drawing upon historic stores in Manhattan such as Canal Rubber Supplies (previously also frequented by one of her favourite artists, Eva Hesse), and Daytona Trimmings in the Garment District.
Ayres has a deep connection to the Garment District, having moved into sculpture from a career in fashion design, bringing with her a ‘lifetime of experience’ and a profound concern with the role, treatment and presentation of the body.
‘In creating works that are bound, fragmented, stitched, twisted and distorted, I’m thinking about wounds and injury,’ she says. She combines stained and sewn elastic, skin-like rubber, and used butchers’ hooks to create suspended and standing forms that contort and compel, also suggesting themes of war and incarceration.
Catholicism, earthly desires and shame are also key touchstones for Ayres. The artist’s maternal grandparents, a Catholic nun and priest who fled the church for the sake of romantic love, are an enduring inspiration in her practice: each sculpture bears the coded name of a Catholic saint, and in another sculptural series, Ayres casts steeples in metal-tipped cement.
At Frieze New York, Ayres will present a new work with Matthew Brown in which she continues to wrestle with the ‘soft and hard’ of bodies and sculpture, conceiving the hard parts as ‘bones’. The artist experiences this labour-intensive approach as ‘a form of torture, physically and emotionally. I just keep pushing it until it gets to that point where I’m satisfied.’
About Patricia Ayres
Patricia Ayres (b. 1975, New York) is a New York-based artist. She received an AAS from The Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York; a BFA from Brooklyn College, City University of New York; an MFA from Hunter College, City University of New York; and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2019. Ayres will present a solo exhibition at Mendes Wood DM in Brussels in 2025 and is included in SITE Santa Fe Biennial in 2025.
Further Information
Frieze New York, The Shed, 7 – 11 May, 2025. Tickets are on sale – don’t miss out, buy yours now. Alternatively, become a member to enjoy premier access, exclusive guided tours and more.
A dedicated online Frieze Viewing Room will open the week before the fair, offering audiences a first look at the presentations and the opportunity to engage with the fair remotely.
Frieze New York is supported by global lead partner Deutsche Bank, continuing its legacy of celebrating artistic excellence on an international scale.
