N. Dash

Born in Miami, Florida, in 1980, N. Dash is an artist currently residing and working in New York City. Her artistic practice is characterized by an emphasis on touch, highlighting the body's generative capacity through corporeal contact. Dash's work frequently defies traditional artistic norms and is primarily expressed through sculptures and paintings.

N. Dash's Art Style

N. Dash's art is deeply rooted in the sense of touch. Her work explores how tactile engagement can establish forms of communication that transcend the limitations of language. She primarily uses factory-made fabric as her material and physically engages with it until it degrades. This process involves the transfer of both intangible and tangible information, including dirt and oils, from the artist's hands to the fabric.

Her sculptures, often described as "primary source material," function as unique recording devices, interconnecting to create a network of tactile experiences that flow seamlessly from one piece to the next. These sculptures resemble visual and tactile diaries, tracing a human geological timeline that spans from preverbal infancy to the present.

Instead of exhibiting the sculptures in their physical form, Dash chooses to photograph them. This photographic documentation both preserves the various iterations of her sculptures and, at the same time, sanitizes the abject remnants. These photographic records date back to 2002 and continue to grow over time.

N. Dash's paintings are closely intertwined with her fabric sculptures. She utilizes adobe soil from the New Mexico high desert as the foundation for her paintings, which consist of multiple components incorporating canvas and pigment deposits.