Diane Simpson, Six Fold, 2020

This artist edition work by Diane Simpson for Nottingham Contemporary, entitled Six Fold (2020), comprises two interrelated parts: a sculpture made of grey archival cardboard with crayon rubbing, and a framed reproduction of an original drawing. Inspired by an earlier work of the same name, Simpson has used the original drawing, which depicts a pattern for a collar, as both source material and blueprint for reconstructing the sculpture in its new version.

Each sculpture has been hand-made by the artist, with the intention that it will be assembled by the owner through a progression of simple folds. The use of grey archival cardboard with crayon rubbing has appeared in many of Simpson’s sculptures, including Biwa (1979), Ribbed Kimono (1980) and Collar – fluted (2011). For this edition, Simpson chose to combine two layers of corrugated archival cardboard, each layer, blue/grey on one side, white on the other side. A dark grey crayon-rubbing creates a subtle emboss across the sculpture’s surface, which accentuates the material’s ridges. The material is also echoed in the frame, with a blue/grey mount hand-cut by Simpson from the same corrugated board, the frame painted to match.

In this small-scale work by Simpson, the two parts coexist, emphasising the relationship between formal and functional and the play between two- and three-dimensional space. This edition is co-produced by FRAME London.

There is a carefully considered balance in the work of the Chicago-based artist Diane Simpson (b. 1935), where fluidity meets rigidity, and minimal flat forms create a complex sense of depth.

Meticulously handcrafted, Simpson’s sculptures are constructed from components of fibreboard, plywood and other everyday materials that seamlessly interlock. Forms are borrowed from architectural details, clothing and the bodies that inhabit them, reflecting an interest in the coexistence of the domestic and industrial worlds.

Sculptures begin as drawings that visualise details from the history of clothing and design, rotated at 45-degree angles using techniques borrowed from architecture and engineering as well as Chinese and Japanese art.

Assembly instructions and materials are provided for the sculpture. This work is framed to order, fulfilment may take up to 10 weeks.

If you have a question about this or any of our Artists' Editions, please contact the gallery directly here