Kennedy Yanko

Bio

Former bodybuilder, Kennedy Yanko (b. 1988, St. Louis, MO) creates sublime sculptures and installations using paint skins and found metal. Rooted in the visual language of Abstract Expressionism, Action, and Color Field Painting, her work pushes the boundaries between painting and sculpture, abstraction and figuration, the surreal and earthbound. Deeply influenced by Daoism and theosophic ideologies, for Yanko, the cyclic repurposing of materials alludes to the infinite possibilities for their reinterpretation. In the process of making, she becomes a conduit for renewal and regeneration.

Yanko is currently featured in the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, “In Minor Keys,” curated by Koyo Kouoh and has been included in significant exhibitions at the Albertina Modern (2024); Brooklyn Museum (2022; 2024); CFHill (2022); Parrish Art Museum (2022); Rubell Museum (2021), where she was the 2021-2022 Artist in Residence and first sculptor to hold the residency; and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (2019). Her work is held in numerous public and private collections across the U.S., Europe, and South America.