Anya Gallaccio is known for installations that employ organic materials that are subject to change and decay—flowers and fruit, sugar and ice—even as her work is inflected with a minimalist vocabulary suggesting durability and timelessness. Recently she has begun working with stone, exploring the sense of time embedded in this more long-lasting material, as well as the properties inherent to species of stone drawn from the western United States. In a new site-specific project for MCASD’s expansive Farrell Gallery in the Jacobs Building, Gallaccio takes inspiration from the Southern California landscape, exploring the spatial and geological properties of its rugged terrain.
Gallaccio’s work was first exhibited at MCASD in 1994 as part of inSITE, and has since been presented in numerous international solo exhibitions, at institutions including Tate London (2003); Palazzo delle Papesse, Siena (2005); Sculpture Center, New York (2006); Camden Art Centre, London (2008); and Artpace, San Antonio (2013). Gallacio will have a forthcoming solo exhibition at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA. Her work is included in numerous public and private collections, including the Tate London; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; and Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. A nominee for the prestigious Turner Prize in 2003, the British-born artist is based in San Diego and teaches at the University of California San Diego.
Anya Gallacciois organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and made possible by proceeds from the 2014 Biennial Art Auction. Institutional support of MCASD is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Fund.