No Bodies: Clothing as Disruptor
Through bodiless artworks that reimagine and transform clothing, No Bodies offers a multitude of societal portraits and asks us to reconsider clothing as not merely attire but a dynamic expression of both personal and collective identities.
Photo by Steven Paneccasio.
Simply put, clothing is what we put on our bodies. We use it both to cover up and to reveal ourselves. It is also a tool we use to understand others. As an artistic medium, it embodies the tension between opposing forces—private experience and mass consumption, form and function, empowerment and vulnerability, personal expression and cultural expectation. Through bodiless artworks that reimagine and transform clothing, No Bodies: Clothing as Disruptor offers a multitude of societal portraits and invites visitors to engage with the intimate narratives they evoke.
The artists in No Bodies use clothing to play with assumptions about materiality and cultural identity, and as a vehicle for social and political activism. In Shroud, a sea of suspended shirts, Rachel Breen asks us to stand in solidarity with garment workers. Inscribed on Patrick Carroll’s t-shirt, created in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, are the ingredients of historical abortifacients. Rose Deler points up the cruelty of immigration policy with children’s garments fashioned from the Mylar rescue blankets given to migrants at the U.S. border. In Jesse Krimes’s quilt Skyline, an inmate’s memories of wellbeing are retained in spite of the oppression of the prison-industrial complex. The beads in Erica Lord’s loom-woven burden strap replicate the pixel-like format of DNA analysis of diseases affecting Indigenous communities. And Karen Shaw transforms a sports jersey into a hoop shirt—a winking reference to a hoop skirt—that subverts gender norms and blends masculine and feminine elements.
No Bodies reveals how clothing can convey deeply personal stories while critiquing broader systems of production and regulation. Disrupting familiar clothing conventions, the artists illustrate how personal expression can reshape cultural and social norms. Their works unravel our presumptions about clothing, the stories it can carry, and the psychological weight it can bear. No Bodies asks us to reconsider clothing as not merely attire, or fashion, but a dynamic expression of both personal and collective identities.
Curated by independent curator Alva Greenberg.
At the Hudson River Museum, the exhibition is generously sponsored by The Coby Foundation, Ltd.
Additional support is provided by The O’Grady Foundation.
Exhibitions are made possible by assistance provided by the County of Westchester.
Featured Artists
Reginald Dwayne Betts • John Boone • Marsha Borden • Rachel Breen • Chris Burden • Patrick Carroll • Susan Clinard • Hannah Conradt • E.V. Day • Rose Deler • Lesley Dill • Anindita Dutta • Giannina Dwin • Carlos Estévez • Kathryn Frund • Jonathan Herrera Soto • Jesse Krimes • Robert Kushner • Ruth Lingen • Erica Lord • Whitfield Lovell • Adriana Marmorek • Senga Nengudi • Carol Paik • Sidney Russell • Barbara Ségal • Karen Shaw • Jaune Quick-to-See Smith • Micki Watanabe Spiller • Cindy Tower • Cybèle Young
The Teaching Artist-in-Residence for No Bodies is Nancy Mendez. Learn more about the Residency Program here.
Selected objects
Reginald Dwayne Betts (American, b. 1980) and Ruth Lingen (American, b. 1958). Untitled 1 & 2, 2024. Letterpress on paper handmade from worn prison clothes. Courtesy of Reginald Dwayne Betts and Ruth Lingen, Line Press Limited. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
John Boone (American, b. 1951). Thinking Cap, 2024. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Marsha Borden (American, b. 1971). My Tattoos, 2020. Textile and hand-embroidery. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Rachel Breen (American, b. 1961). Shroud, 2018. Used white shirts, thread, and fabric. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Camille Knop.
Chris Burden (American, 1946–2015). L.A.P.D. Uniform, 1993. Wool serge, metal, leather, and plastic (edition 13 of 30). Collection of Olivia Georgia. © 2024 Chris Burden / licensed by The Chris Burden Estate and Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Patrick Carroll (American, b. 1990). SILPHIUM COTTON / ROOT BARK GIANT / BOAT-LIP ORCHID / PEACOCK FLOWER / RED CEDAR RUE, 2022. Organic undyed cotton. Collection of Alva Greenberg. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Susan Clinard (American, b. 1972). Lift, 2020. Textile, cotton, paper, and acrylic. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Hannah Conradt (American, b. 1998). Mask Wedding Dress, 2020. Silk, cotton, and steel. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
E. V. Day (American, b. 1967). Carmen, 2010. Dress and monofilament. Courtesy of the artist.
Rose Deler (Dominican American, b. 1965). Aluminum Coat No. 2, 2019. Mylar rescue blankets and yarn-covered hangers. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Rose Deler (Dominican American, b. 1965). Aluminum Coat No. 3, 2019. Mylar rescue blankets and yarn-covered hangers. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Lesley Dill (American, b. 1950). Gown of Blueprint, 2014. Hand-painted metal with oil paint on metal armature. Courtesy of Nohra Haime Gallery.
Anindita Dutta (Indian, b. 1973). Sex, Sexuality, and Society—Grenada, 2023. Marriage gown, used boots, and chair, all hand-dyed. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Giannina Dwin (American, b. Ecuador, 1953). Salt, Lace Dress, 2024. Salt. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Carlos Estévez (Cuban, b. 1969). Stripping Bare the Soul, 2009. Wood, glass eyes, and ink on fabric. Collection of Yale University Art Gallery. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Kathryn Frund (American, b. 1955). Southern Ocean, 2020. Synthetic clothing, polyester felt padding, and push pins. Courtesy of the artist.
Jesse Krimes (American, b. 1982). Skyline, 2021. Antique quilt, used clothing collected from incarcerated people, and assorted textiles. Private collection. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Robert Kushner (American, b. 1949). The Lapis Necklace, 1985. Acrylic and silver leaf on mixed fabric. Courtesy of the artist and DC Moore Gallery, New York.
Erica Lord (Enrolled member of the Nenana Native Village; Athabaskan, Iñupiat, Finnish, Swedish, Japanese, and English, b. 1978). Multiple Myeloma Burden Strap, DNA/ RNA Microarray Analysis, Variation #1, 2022–23. 4mm glass cube-shaped beads and string. Courtesy of the artist and Accola Griefen Gallery. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Whitfield Lovell (American, b. 1959). The Id, 1992. Oil stick and charcoal on paper. Courtesy of the artist and DC Moore Gallery, New York.
Whitfield Lovell (American, b. 1959). Gown, 1992. Oil stick and charcoal on paper. Courtesy of the artist and DC Moore Gallery, New York.
Adriana Marmorek (Colombian, b. 1969). Relic #17—Wedding Gown 2, I, III, V, 2016. Photographs on paper, mounted on board. Courtesy of Nohra Haime Gallery.
Senga Nengudi (American, b. 1943). A.C.Q.—Fandango, 2016–17. Fan and nylon pantyhose. Collection of Art Bridges (AB.2017.13). Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Carol Paik (American, b. 1963). Exhibition Revisited, 2022. Repurposed menswear. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Sidney Russell (American, b. 1948). Bustier, 2019. Blue organza, white ribbed cotton, and lingerie stays. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Barbara Ségal (American, b. 1953). Bonnie Lynn, 2012. Yellow, pink, and white onyx. Courtesy of the artist.
Karen Shaw (American, b. 1941). Hoop Shirt, from the Unravelling series, 2014. Metal regulation basketball hoop, unraveled NBA T-shirt. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Enrolled Salish member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, b. 1940). Giving Thanks Dress, 2000. Oil and collage on canvas. Private collection. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Jonathan Herrera Soto (American, b. 1994). Soto Soy un Cobarde, Incapaz de Vivir Con lo Que Dejaste (I Am a Coward, Unable to Live with What You Left Behind), 2020. Collograph on handmade natural flax paper. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Micki Watanabe Spiller (American, b. Japan, 1968). A Woman in the Water, 2019. Cotton-embroidered fabric, books, wire, ribbon, and dress mannequin. Courtesy of Accola Griefen Gallery. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Cindy Tower (American, b. 1962). Taughannock Falls, 1993. Wedding dress and oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Cybèle Young (Canadian, b. 1972). What’s the Occasion?, 2018. Japanese paper. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Press
Installation views
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
Photo: Steven Paneccasio.
