Polly Apfelbaum
Institute of Contemporary Art/University of Pennsylvania
This refreshingly selective and well-installed survey of the work of Polly Apfelbaum focuses on fourteen sculptural pieces and installations created between 1989 and 2003. A Pocket Full of Posies, 1990, is the first to articulate the stakes of her artistic practice. Composed of unpainted steel plates cut into simple floral shapes and arranged in a circle on the ground, the piece recalls Carl Andre’s floor sculptures, while its floral subject matter could be said to introduce a “feminine” sensibility. A Pocket was soon followed by more floor pieces, now made of fabric dyed in effusive hues. If