Pippa Garner, Ingenious Conceptual Tinkerer, Dies at 82

Last updated: January 2, 2025 10:32 pm

I could be hacked just like a car or a toaster. And I thought, ‘Why not?’”

Garner’s body-hacking experiments included testosterone and estrogen injections, as well as surgeries to alter her appearance. She documented her physical changes in a series of self-portraits and performances, including “Un(tit)led (Self-Portrait in Hospital)” (1997/2024), a piece that captures her in a hospital bed wearing a hospital gown with the top half pulled down to reveal her masculine chest. The work is a powerful statement on gender identity and the fluidity of the body.

Garner’s legacy extends beyond her art practice. In 2015, she joined the Art Omi residency program in Ghent, New York, where she collaborated with other artists and shared her experiences with a new generation. Her impact on the art world was profound, challenging conventions and pushing boundaries in ways that continue to inspire artists today.

While she may be gone, Philippa “Pippa” Venus Garner’s spirit lives on through her art, her words, and the indelible mark she left on the world of conceptual art. Her legacy will continue to shape the future of art and creativity for years to come.

Pippa Garner, an artist known for her fluid experience with gender and transitioning, once famously stated, “I’m just another appliance.” In a 2019 interview with the Los Angeles-based art journal X-tra, Garner reflected on her journey, noting that after five years of taking hormones, she realized she was never going back to assume a male endocrine profile. However, she also mentioned that she wasn’t thinking about becoming a woman. For Garner, the decision to undergo sex reassignment surgery was more of an art project, driven by her body impulsiveness and obsession.

Garner’s body transformation extended beyond traditional means, encompassing a landscape of provocative tattoos and surgical enhancements. From a pink brassiere tattoo covering her chest to a G-string with Monopoly bills stuffed in the waistband, Garner’s body became a canvas for her artistic expression. Even her left leg, which was surgically reconstructed after a biking accident, bore a woodgrain pattern tattoo from the knee down.

Despite producing artwork for over 30 years, Garner had limited exhibition opportunities until 2014. Her resurgence in the art scene began in 2015 with a presentation at the Spring Break art fair in New York, leading to multiple solo shows across the country. Notable exhibitions include “Tinker Tantrum” (2017) and “Immaculate Misconceptions” (2021) in Los Angeles, as well as “$ell Your $elf” (2023) at Art Omi in Ghent, New York. Garner’s installation, “Inventor’s Office” (2021-24), was featured in the 2024 Whitney Biennial, showcasing her innovative and boundary-pushing artistry.

Sara O’Keeffe, the senior curator behind Garner’s “$ell Your $elf” exhibition at Art Omi, emphasized Garner’s playful approach to materials and her refusal to conform to societal norms. Garner’s artistry aimed to challenge and provoke viewers, inviting them to reconsider conventional narratives and embrace creativity on their own terms.

Currently, a dual presentation of Garner’s solo exhibition, “Misc. Pippa,” is on display at Matthew Brown Gallery in New York City and Stars Gallery in Los Angeles. These exhibitions offer a glimpse into Garner’s multifaceted and rebellious artistic practice, showcasing her relentless pursuit of pushing boundaries and redefining artistic norms. In today’s fast-paced world, staying up-to-date with the latest news and information is more important than ever. With the rise of social media and online news sources, it can be overwhelming to sift through the sheer volume of information available. That’s why it’s crucial to have a reliable and trustworthy news outlet that you can turn to for accurate and unbiased reporting.

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