Gotham

17 Artists Who Persevered in 2020

December 2, 2020

"I can't remember a time when I wasn't thinking about art or creating things," says Arlene Shechet. The multidisciplinary sculptor-whose work can be found at distinguished institutions across the globe including Centre Pompidou in Paris, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and more-is currently putting the finishing touches on her first solo show at Pace Gallery in Palo Alto, Calif. Set to open this February, Together: Pacific Time will feature colorful large-scale sculptural works that play off pieces seen at recent shows in Manhattan and East Hampton, N.Y. "Seeing people move and gesture-their body language, colors and the music of life, both created and found" are a few things that inspire Shechet as her creative approach evolves from piece to piece. "It's never the same process twice, and, actually, in many cases, there is no clear start," she explains, noting she's staying busy working on projects for the Stuart Collection at University of California, San Diego; an installation at the Harvard Art Museums; and a curated installation at The Drawing Center in New York, in addition to prepping for the Palo Alto show. "I'm always playing, listening and looking," Shechet says. "I guess my starting place is just paying attention to what's in front of me: a hunk of wood, a lump of clay, a construction site full of steel beams, a bird in the sky."