Bêtes Noires

At the 2026 edition of SPLIT LEVEL Art Fair, held at Rimadesio at 120 Madison Avenue in New York, I curated Caitlin McCormack’s work into a presentation entitled Bêtes Noires. This title referenced both the animal forms much of the work took, as well beastly little gremlins of feeling, thought, and pathos that we would rather sweep away. As the art fair was held in a furniture showroom, the setting presented an opportunity to juxtapose devalued, often feminine craft modalities with midcentury modern’s otherwise unruffled, expensive curves. The following is the show’s catalog, which we printed as a kind of high-end zine. Coverage of the presentation itself may be found here.