Since the beginning of her career, Pae White has explored a variety of materials and techniques, formal elements being a central focus of her artistic production. All of Pae’s works share an intrinsic duality, existing as both functional objects and sculptures. The duality is seen in the production of her work as well, whereby what seems manual, handcrafted,is in fact the fruit of advanced mechanical technology. This is the case with Pae White’s tapestries, where sculptural, lustrous imprints are presented on soft fabric. The tapestries maintain a painted, trompe-l’oeil quality, confusing the viewer of the real nature of their medium. In 2006, White began creating tapestries with photographic images of crumpled aluminum foil and plumes of smoke. Her tapestries stage what White describes as the cotton’s “dream of becoming something other than itself” by contrasting an image of something immaterial with the physicality of fabric. Ignoring traditional boundaries between the applied and fine arts, Pae White encourages viewers to take a deeper look at familiar encounters and ordinary objects.

Pae White was recently the subject of a duo show at Plataforma de Arte Contemporáneo in Guadalajara. Pae White has exhibited in numerous institutions worldwide, such as: Fondazione Prada, Venice (2023); Villa Olmo, Como (2022); San José Museum of Art, San Jose (2019); ICA Boston, Boston (2019); Sammlung Goetz, Munich (2018); Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai (2018); National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2017); Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art (2016); Langen Foundation, Neuss (2013); MAK, Wien (2013); Whitney Biennial, New York (2010); The Power Plant, Toronto (2010); Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale (2008). White’s work is included in the permanent collections of: Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; San Diego Museum of Art; Centre Pompidou Museum, Paris; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Tate Modern, London; Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Köln; Jumex Collection, Mexico City; among others. White (b. 1963, USA) lives and works in Los Angeles.