24 x 20 x 3 inches. Collection of Vincent Uribe. © Estate of Sabina Ott. Image courtesy of Jeroen Nelemans.
About
Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary is the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work since her death in 2018, presenting 33 works created in the final years of her career. The exhibition’s title is drawn from a poem in Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons (1914), a text that remained a pivotal source of inspiration for Ott throughout her life. Employing materials such as polystyrene and spray foam, Ott transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary, constructing works of art that are at once imaginative and dreamlike. For Ott, art offered a space of transformation, a means of turning trauma inside out and reshaping it into forms of play and wonder. This exhibition highlights the depth of her experimental practice and affirms her enduring legacy as an artist who expanded the possibilities of material and meaning.
Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary is organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and co-curated by Paul Baker Prindle, MFA and Jefferson Godard, M.Arch.
About Sabina Ott
Sabina Ott (1955–2018, United States) was a multidisciplinary artist celebrated for her innovative work in painting, installation, and sculpture. Born in Los Angeles, she earned both her BFA and MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Ott launched her career with a solo exhibition at the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art in 1983 and went on to exhibit widely, participating in over 100 solo and group exhibitions internationally. Her work received attention in major publications such as Art in America, Art Forum, and The New York Times. In 2012, Ott founded Terrain Exhibitions, an alternative gallery space operated from her own home, which became a vibrant platform for local artists.
Sabina Ott’s art is represented in significant collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and Columbia College Chicago. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2015 and served as Professor of Art at Columbia College Chicago. Renowned as a dedicated teacher, mentor, and advocate, Ott is remembered for her fearless creativity and generous support of the artistic community.
Programming & Events
Opening Celebration
Friday, December 12 • 6–9 PM
Drop in Tours
Saturday, November 15 • 2 PM
Thursday, December 18 • 6 PM
Sunday, January 18 • 2 PM
Member Tour
Sunday, November 2 • 2PM