Lisa Anne Auerbach: Sweater Parade

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | For more than 25 years, Auerbach has been knitting sweaters emblazoned with slogans, quotes and catchphrases that document her experience, reflect on history and respond to current events. Sweater Parade— a mid-career survey of Auerbach's work—centers the variety of her knitted apparel and contextualizes it within the breadth of a unique practice rooted in self-publishing, punk rebellion and DIY activism. Featured artworks include dozens of densely patterned, text-covered garments arranged in formation across Usdan Gallery; a series of some 250 slogan paintings expressing outrage and urging activism during the Trump Administration; and a book room inviting visitors to explore the artist’s numerous publications. The abundance of knitted, painted, and printed text creates a cacophony of messages that reverberates across time, from U.S. presidential eras as far back as Thomas Jefferson thorough events as current as Britney Spears and COVID-19. Sweater Parade highlights the pointed humor and urgent seriousness of Auerbach’s work—her critique of modes of inquiry and expressions of ideology, her curiosity about magical thinking versus practical action, and her innovative consideration of the body as a portable site for display.