Ethan Cook is a Brooklyn-based contemporary and process artist best known for his large-scale canvases of unmodulated color blocks that he partially weaves himself. Cook creates work with the appearance of a traditional, nonobjective painting; however, his work does not contain any paint, only carefully woven fabric. Cook's process work has been likened to the work of

Abstract Expressionists Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

Mark Rothko and Agnes Martin, and his art has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times,

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, which also publishes internati ...

and

Interview Magazine ''Interview'' is an American magazine founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol and British journalist John Wilcock. The magazine, nicknamed "The Crystal Ball of Pop", features interviews with celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinke ...

, among other publications.

Personal life

Cook and his partner, Wray Serna, divide their time between their Clinton Hill apartment and their country home in the Catskills.

Bodies of work

Woven Canvases, 2012-ongoing

In 2012, Cook began his series of large-scale monochrome works on canvas with minimalist blocks of unmodulated color. Each canvas is a hybrid product of both store-bought machine-made canvas but also canvas that Cook wove himself using a hand

loom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...

. The duality of his process creates a dichotomy between craft and machine, perfection and imperfection, consistency and inconsistency and expansion and intimacy. These works share the aesthetic of paintings, yet are not made from paint, instead exploring the quiet subtlety of fabric itself. Cook celebrates the humble, traditional practice of weaving while also modernizing the technique through his use of scale, process and public exhibition.

Devotional Objects, 2015

In this series, Cook fabricated large-scale relief sculptures from fiberglass of everyday objects. The artist found his inspiration from common bric-a-brac figurines—such as The Virgin Mary, cherubs and angels—that are culturally embedded with devotional significance. Cook re-interprets often overlooked household tchotchkes by altering their scale and materiality and re-contexting them to an exhibition environment.

Auction and exhibition history

Cook has a robust exhibition and auction history throughout the United States and Europe. He has sold work at international auction houses Phillip's, Sotheby's and

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

, and on the online auction platform,

Artsy Artsy, formally known as Art.sy Inc is a New York City based online art brokerage. Its main business is developing and hosting website for numerous galleries as well as selling art for them. It utilizes a search engine and database to draw conn ...

. In 2014, Cook's handwoven works were featured in a group show at the

Sadie Coles Sadie may refer to: People Given name or nickname Women * Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898–1989), first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in the United States and to practice law in Pennsylvania * Sadie Benning (born 1973), American ...

Gallery in London. In 2019, the artist showed work at the annual Art Brussels fair in Belgium, a fair that spotlights unconventional process and materials.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Ethan American contemporary artists American abstract artists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people