Paine Roxy

Paine, born in 1966 in New York, is an American Contemporary sculptor and painter renowned for his innovative large-scale, tree-like structures known as Dendroids. With a career marked by a fusion of organic inspiration and industrial materials, Paine’s work challenges the boundaries between the natural and artificial worlds.

Paine’s artistic foundation was laid at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico (1986-1987) and further honed at the Pratt Institute in New York (1987-1989). These formative years were crucial in shaping his unique approach to art, blending traditional sculpture techniques with cutting-edge technology.

Roxy Paine’s career is punctuated by several significant achievements:

• 1997: Received the Trustees Award for an Emerging Artist from the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT.
• 2006: Awarded the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, recognizing his contributions to the field of art.
• 2008: Featured in Art Basel 39 Public Art Projects, a testament to his growing influence in the art world.
• 2013: Honored with The Asher B. Durand award for artistic accomplishment by the Brooklyn Museum.

Paine’s most celebrated works are his Dendroid sculptures, the first of which was Imposter (1999). Crafted from stainless steel pipes and panels, these structures mimic the complex branching networks seen in trees and other natural forms. One of his most ambitious pieces, Maelstrom (2009), was temporarily installed on the rooftop garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Measuring 29 x 130 x 45 feet, this awe-inspiring sculpture seemed to organically emerge from the museum itself, inviting visitors to interact with its intricate branches.

In addition to Dendroids, Paine has created a series of works known as Replicants. These sculptures, made from industrial materials and meticulously painted by hand, replicate the appearance of natural plants and fungi. This series further explores the intersection between the organic and the mechanical, a recurring theme in Paine’s oeuvre.

Paine’s work has been showcased in numerous prestigious institutions, including:

• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.
• Museum of Modern Art, New York
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
• Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Paine’s art frequently confronts the relationship between the organic and the artificial, striving to evoke the sense of awe often inspired by nature. His Dendroids, in both appearance and name, reference not only the branches of plant life but also other branching networks, including the dendrites of neurological systems. This unique perspective invites viewers to reconsider their understanding of natural and man-made environments.

Roxy Paine continues to live and work in Brooklyn and Treadwell, NY, where he pushes the boundaries of contemporary sculpture and painting. His commitment to exploring the symbiosis between nature and technology ensures that his work remains both relevant and revolutionary.