Daphne Fitzpatrick

Daphne Fitzpatrick was born in Long Island, New York, in 1964. Selected exhibitions include A Roll in the Hay at Bellwether in New York (2007); Shared Women at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) in Los Angeles (2007); Little Triggers at Cohan and Leslie in New York (2003); Private View: Daphne Fitzpatrick/Nancy Shaver/Amy Sillman/Kara Walker at Brent Sikkema in New York (2001). Daphne Fitzpatrick lives and works in Brooklyn.

Daphne Fitzpatrick’s practice is rooted in the historical and aesthetic concerns of the flâneur, the 19th century literary figure traditionally pictured as a dandy gentleman wandering the city streets. The flâneur defines itself in opposition to the speed, production, and values of modern urban life, stubbornly engaged in cultivating a refined aesthetic position dedicated to appropriating the overlooked and marginalized aspects of the urban landscape. For Fitzpatrick, the flâneur’s contemporary stance is romantically symbolized with an oversized photograph of worn high-top sneakers—the mark of contemporary urban travels. Fitzpatrick conflates a hobo sensibility with the care and attention of fine craftsmanship. Whether appropriated, foraged, or recreated, each of her works connects back to experiences within an ever-changing urban environment. Fitzpatrick combines appropriated images, found objects, photographs, sculpture, and video, building complex narratives littered with banal joke shop humor, sexual puns and perverse poetry. As Helen Molesworth wrote, Daphne Fitzpatrick is “reimagining…the commodity as a kind of Surrealist-inflected game piece…[she] uses the castoffs of spectacle culture to create delicate, Lilliputian tableaux inflected with visual puns”.

For additional information about this artist, visit Mutual Art