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About

Kennedy Yanko (b. 1988) is a Brooklyn-based artist who debuted sculptures from her “Elements and Skin” series as part of a Derrick Adams-curated group show, “Hidden in Plain Sight” at Jenkins Johnson Project Space. Brooklyn, NY in 2017. In 2019, Yanko’s work was featured in 3 solo exhibitions: Highly Worked (Denny Dimin Gallery, NY), Hannah (Kavi Gupta, Chicago), and Before Words (UICA, Grand Rapids. She also installed her first public sculpture, 3 WAYS, on the Poydras Corridor in New Orleans in collaboration with The Helis Foundation and the Ogden Museum of Art.

In 2019, Yanko was named Art Forum’s “Critic’s Pick,” received a Colene Brown Art Prize awarded by BRIC Arts Media, and was featured in 100 Sculptors of Tomorrow published by Thames & Hudson. In the last couple of years, Yanko has also exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (Parallels and Peripheries curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah) and at the University of South Florida (Life During WarTime, curated by Christian Viveros). Her work is included in the collections of JP Morgan Chase and TD Bank, among others.

Selected Works

This image depicts an artwork by Kennedy Yanko titled "By Means Other Than the Known Senses." This artwork was created in 2022 and measures 226" x 120" x 126" [HxWxD] (574.04 x 304.8 x 320.04 cm). Its medium is Paint skin, metal.
Kennedy Yanko
“By Means Other Than the Known Senses,” 2022
This image depicts an artwork by Kennedy Yanko titled "Remnants of Rust on My Face." This artwork was created in 2021 and measures 101" x 70" x 61" [HxWxD] (256.54 x 177.8 x 154.94 cm). Its medium is Paint skin, metal, steel cable.
Kennedy Yanko
“Remnants of Rust on My Face,” 2021
This image depicts an artwork by Kennedy Yanko titled "Tidying My Wrath." This artwork was created in 2021 and measures 63" x 54" x 25" [HxWxD] (160.02 x 137.16 x 63.5 cm). Its medium is Paint skin, metal, steel cable.
Kennedy Yanko
“Tidying My Wrath,” 2021
This image depicts an artwork by Kennedy Yanko titled "The Cold on My Back." This artwork was created in 2021 and measures 61" x 64" x 35" [HxWxD] (154.94 x 162.56 x 88.9 cm). Its medium is Paint skin, metal, steel cable.
Kennedy Yanko
“The Cold on My Back,” 2021
This image depicts an artwork by Kennedy Yanko titled "The Weight of My Sight." This artwork was created in 2021 and measures 86" x 62" x 21" [HxWxD] (218.44 x 157.47 x 53.34 cm). Its medium is Paint skin, metal, steel cable.
Kennedy Yanko
“The Weight of My Sight,” 2021
This image depicts an artwork by Kennedy Yanko titled "Julia II." This artwork was created in 2020 and measures 63" x 26" x 18" [HxWxD] (160.02 x 66.04 x 45.72 cm). Its medium is Paint skin and metal.
Kennedy Yanko
“Julia II,” 2020
This image depicts an artwork by Kennedy Yanko titled "Judith." This artwork was created in 2020 and measures 85" x 51" x 40" [HxWxD] (215.9 x 129.54 x 101.6 cm). Its medium is Paint skin and metal.
Kennedy Yanko
“Judith,” 2020
This image depicts an artwork by Kennedy Yanko titled "K." This artwork was created in 2020 and measures 72" x 40" x 20" [HxWxD] (182.88 x 101.6 x 50.8 cm). Its medium is Paint skin, metal.
Kennedy Yanko
“K,” 2020

Exhibitions

1988
Born in St. Louis, MO
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY

Selected Exhibitions

2023
Forthcoming Spring 2023, The Warhol Museum. Pittsburgh, PA
2022
"By Means Other Than the Known Senses," Art Basel Unlimited with Vielmetter Los Angeles. Basel, Switzerland
"Moving Weight," CFHILL, Stockholm, Sweden
2021
"Three Generations," Salon 94, New York, NY
"Postcapitalist Desire," Tilton Gallery, New York, NY
2020
"alient Queens," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
"Because it’s in my blood," Galleria Poggiali, Milan, IT
2019
"Before Words," UICA, Grand Rapids, MI
"HANNAH, "Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago, IL
"HIGHLY WORKED," Denny Dimin Gallery, New York, NY
2018
"Chasing Time," Leyendecker Galería, Tenerife, Canary Islands
2013
"Alchemy in Silent Spaces," Idiosyncrasy Gallery, New York, NY
2012
"Permutations," The Paragon Theater, St. Louis, MO
2010
"Paroxysm," Art Monster, St. Louis, MO
2009
"Wu-Wei," Abstrakt Gallery, St. Louis, MO

Group Exhibitions

2022
"Brooklyn Abstraction: Four Artists, Four Walls," The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
"Set it Off," Curated by Racquel Chevremont & Mickalene Thomas—collectively known as Deux Femmes Noires, Parrish Art Museum, Watermill, NY
"Skin in the Game," Curated by Zoe Lukov & Produced by Abby Pucker, Pop Up Exhibition, Chicago, IL
"2022 Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts," American Academy of Art and Letters, New York City, NY
2021
The Armory Show, Two Person Presentation with Genevieve Gaignard, New York, NY
2020
"We Are More Than A Moment," MCLA BCRC/Gallery 51, North Adams, MA
"Life During War Time," University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, Fl
"Arco Madrid," Leyendecker Galería, Madrid, Spain
"SITE: Art and Architecture in the Digital Space," Library Street Collective
Armory, Kavi Gupta Gallery, New York, NY
"ABSTRACT! From Minimalism to Now," Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, NY
Frieze, Kavi Gupta Gallery, New York, NY
2019
"IMPLIED BODY," ASSEMBLY ROOM, New York, NY
Frieze LA, Kavi Gupta Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Expo Chicago, Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago, IL
Armory, Kavi Gupta Gallery, New York, NY
Art Basel, Kavi Gupta Gallery, Miami, FL
Enter Art Fair, Galleri Jacob Bjørn, Copenhagen, Denmark
"Harlem Perspectives," The Faction Art Space, New York, NY
"UNTITLED FOG," Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2018
"UNTITLED," Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Miami, FL
2019
"PARALLELS AND PERIPHERIES," MOCAD, Detroit, MI
2018
Art Basel, Kavi Gupta Gallery. Miami, FL.
"Cry of Victory and Short Walks to Freedom," Projects + Gallery, St. Louis, MO
"Outside in 2," Michael David Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
"PARALLELS AND PERIPHERIES," Art Center South Florida, Miami, FL
The Barn Show 2018, Johannes Vogt Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
"Arco Lisboa," Leyendecker Galería, Lisbon, Portugal
"Alchemy," BRIC Arts Media, Brooklyn, NY
"Arco Madrid," Leyendecker Galería, Madrid, Spain
"Senses and Perceptions," MANA Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ
"The Aesthetics of Matter," VOLTA NY, New York, NY
"Out of Line," Long Gallery, Harlem, NY
2017
"PULSE," Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Miami, FL
"PROJECTS," PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, Miami, FL
"Hidden in Plain Sight," Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2015
"AART," Joseph Gross Gallery, New York, NY
2014
"I Kan Do Dat," Rush Art Galleries, New York, NY
"Art Now," Poppington Gallery, New York, NY

Bibliography

2023
Godfrey, Mark, Katy Siegel, Aria Dean, Laura Owens, Glenn Adamson. “Making Their Mark: Art by Women in the Shah Garg Collection,” Gregory R. Miller & Co, ARTBOOK D.A.P., New York, NY pg 388-389, 2023
2022
Escalante-De Mattei, Shanti. "Dealers Are Footing Towering Bills to Show Monumental Works in Art Basel’s Unlimited Section," ARTnews, June 15 (Link)
Batycka, Dorian. "In Pictures: See the Best of Art Basel Unlimited 2022, From a Painting Made of Hardware-Store Finds to a Shipping Container-Turned-Sculpture," artnet, June 13 (Link)
Schwartz, Alexis. "Kennedy Yanko is Moving Weight," L'Officiel, May 19 (Link)
2021
Rynaski, Nate. "Kennedy Yanko | To paint is to love, to love is to scrap metal," Flaunt, August 30 (Link)
King, Akili. "Inside the Studio Where Artist Kennedy Yanko Creates Her Surreal Sculptures," Vogue, July 11 (Link)
Staff, Artsy. "What I Buy and Why: Bronx Museum Trustee Richard Torres on Supporting Artists of Color, and the Picasso He’d Most Love to Pilfer," Artsy, June 28 (Link)
White, Katie. "‘My Whole Body Is Moving With It’: Rising Star Kennedy Yanko on the Performative Way She Makes Her Coveted Sculptures," Artnet, June 15 (Link)
Fazzare, Elizabeth. "CULTURED COLLECTIONS WITH SUZANNE MCFAYDEN," Cultured Magazine, June 11
Ologundudu, Folasade. "Kennedy Yanko: Postcapitalist Desire," The Brooklyn Rail, May 2021 (Link)
Hernandez, Jasmin. "We Are Here: Visionaries of Color Transforming the Art World," Abrams, 2021
2020
Waddoups, Ryan. "Kennedy Yanko Isn’t Afraid to Take Up Space," Surface Magazine, October 20, 2020
Huzenis, Ella. “Kennedy Yanko’s Sculptures are a Certain Kind of Woman,” Interview, October 2020.
2019
Beers, Kurt. "100 Sculptors of Tomorrow," Thames & Hudson, 2019.
Becker, Noah. "Interview with Kennedy Yanko by Noah Becker,” White Hot Magazine, June 2019.
Dunson, Danny. "Kennedy Yanko: In Her Own Words," Art X, July 2019.
Rosier, J. Howard. “Critic’s Picks,” Art Forum, November 2019.
2018
Sargent, Antwaun. “How artist Kennedy Yanko went from bodybuilding to metalworking,” Vice, 8 March 2018.
Joseph, Jae. “All the Feels: Nana Ya Asare Boadu and Kennedy Yanko,” Cultured, July 2018.
2017
Hernandez, Jasmin. “Studio Visit with Kennedy Yanko in Bushwick, Brooklyn,” GalleryGurls, 22 October 2017.
McVey, Kurt. “Three Pulses: Ventiko, Fischer Cherry and Kennedy Yanko,” Visual Art, 22 November 2017.
2013
McVey, Kurt. “It’s A Little About Kennedy Yanko,” Interview Magazine, 8 November 2013.

Public Projects

2019-2021
Sculpture: 3 Ways, Funded by the Helis Foundation. Poydras Corridor, New Orlean, LA
2019-2020
Installation | Film: Our Valence. Art in Buildings by Time Equities. Detroit, MI

Residencies

2021
Artist in Residence. Rubell Museum. Miami, FL
2020
Finalist. Creative Time Open Call. Creative Time
2019
Recipient, Colene Brown Art Prize. BRIC Arts Media.
2018-2019
Nominee, Painters & Sculptors Grant Program, Joan Mitchell Foundation.
2018
Nominee, Emerging Artist Grant. Rema Hort Mann Foundation.
Artist Residency, Galería Leyendecker. Tenerife, Canary Islands.
2017
Artist Residency, Fountainhead, Miami, FL.
2013
Artist Residency, Idiosyncrasy Gallery. New York, NY.
2010
Artist Residency, Atlantic Center of the Arts. New Smyrna Beach, FL.
2009-2012
Resident Performer, The Living Theatre. New York, NY.

Public Talks, Panels and Juries

2022
Kennedy Yanko in conversation with Saskia Neuman, CFHILL, Stockholm, Sweden
2019
Artist Talk. Philadelphia Academy of the Arts. Philadelphia, PA.
“Conversations with Artists” series. The Phillips Collection. Washington, DC.

Public Collections

The Bunker Artspace, West Palm Beach, FL.
Espacio Tacuari, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
MCA Chicago, Chicago, IL
Rubell Museum, Miami, FL.