Pae White

A California native, Pae White is a multimedia artist known for reinterpreting familiar encounters and ordinary items—like animals, books, advertisements, shopping bags, and plants—and revealing what she calls the "artfulness" of the natural and the everyday. She employs ornate craftsmanship along with inventive materials to create objects and installations that transcend traditional boundaries between art and design.

Nature is a recurring theme in her work, as is the transformation of space to engage an audience. For her prominent display in the 2009 Venice Biennale, White transformed part of the 13th century Arsenale into a colorful aviary and hired Venetian bird callers to summon the city's birds. For the 2010 Whitney Biennial, Pae created Still, Untitled, one of her celebrated smoke tapestries made of large-scale photographic images that capture the subtle shades, curving lines, and elusive qualities of smoke. These works are emblematic of her fascination with exposing the beauty and visual complexities of the quotidian using a material that contrasts with the subject's natural form.

Beyond her participation in these exhibitions, White has established an international career, with recent solo shows at kaufmann repetto, Milan, Italy (2011); Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, Belgium (2009); neugerriemschneider, Berlin, Germany (2008); greengrassi, London, England (2008); and Sue Crockford Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand (2006), among others. Articles on her work have appeared in Frieze, Tema Celeste, Contemporary, Art Monthly, and Artforum. In addition she has designed publications and advertisements for a number of museums, galleries, and magazines.