Whitney Biennial Installation 1979

This installation by Joyce Kozloff, shown at the Whitney Biennial, is made using painted ceramic tiles. These modules are arranged to resemble textiles or perhaps rugs hanging on a wall. The material of the tiles greatly influences the artwork’s appearance, giving it a sense of texture, weight, and color. The individual tiles fit together to create larger patterns, echoing the rich decorative traditions of Islamic art and architecture. The production process involves skilled labor: each tile has to be cast, glazed, and fired. And the installation itself requires a deep knowledge of pattern-making. Kozloff is working within a long history of creative practice and aesthetics that sits between fine art and craft. By using a material associated with decoration and architecture, she challenges traditional distinctions between high art and craft, emphasizing the importance of materials, making, and context in understanding the full meaning of the artwork.