Françoise Grossen
One of the most enthralling objects in this decades-spanning exhibition is the sprawling “Mermaid I,” from 1978. Woven from twisted rope, a trio of eight-foot-long fish-tail braids meet where the mythic creature’s torso would start, and end in curved fins of concentric strands. “Interpolations XXI,” from 1982, is a lovely outlier, a small, caterpillar-like form made from buffing pads and wooden buttons, rather than the artist’s signature knots and plaits. The Swiss-born, New York-based artist, who is best known for her gracefully gnarled, abstract hanging works and large public commissions, broke early with the constraints of tapestry to reflect the countercultural aesthetics of the nineteen-seventies. At times, though, Grossen’s works can feel too close to the handmade post-Minimalism of Eva Hesse, particularly in this gallery setting.