Photo of collection object Nicotine
Karon Davis. Nicotine, 2016. Plaster, cloth, oil paint, synthetic hair, clothing, wire, shredded bills, coffee cup, wood, mirror, cigarette, 50 1/2 × 245 1/2 × 31 in. (128.3 × 623.6 × 78.7 cm) storage (2022 storage volume for seated figure on storage base): 58 × 58 × 36 in. (147.3 × 147.3 × 91.4 cm) storage (Tycore sandwich for storing Mirror): 2 × 52 × 20 in. (5.1 × 132.1 × 50.8 cm). Purchase gift of Beth Rudin DeWoody, 2018.2. © artist or artist's estate.

Nicotine

2016

Karon Davis

Contemporary Art

Karon Davis reflects on experiences of care and grief through this lifelike sculpture of a nurse or caregiver during a moment of repose. Nicotine—its title a reference to the mood-altering substance contained in the cigarette in the figure’s hand—was originally installed in a gallery that re-created the space of a hospital waiting room, a place in which the occupants experience time, hope, connection, and loss in acute ways. The tattered figure embodies the weight of healthcare work and expresses how people cope and rest when confronted with illness.
Maker/Artist
Karon Davis
Classification
Sculpture
Formatted Medium
Plaster, cloth, oil paint, synthetic hair, clothing, wire, shredded bills, coffee cup, wood, mirror, cigarette
Dimensions
50 1/2 × 245 1/2 × 31 in. (128.3 × 623.6 × 78.7 cm) storage (2022 storage volume for seated figure on storage base): 58 × 58 × 36 in. (147.3 × 147.3 × 91.4 cm) storage (Tycore sandwich for storing Mirror): 2 × 52 × 20 in. (5.1 × 132.1 × 50.8 cm)
Departments
Contemporary Art
Accession Number
2018.2
Credit Line
Purchase gift of Beth Rudin DeWoody
Rights Statement
© artist or artist's estate
Dominant Colors

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