Gabriel Kuri untitled (2 in 1 pelvic diagram), 2023

untitled (2 in 1 pelvic diagram) is made from silver weather proofing material, string and two large marine gastropod mollusk shells.

Held in place entirely by the tension created by the material as it is fastened to the wall, the two front panels are kept aligned with the wall on top but jut out in distinct convex bulges below. Two intertwined mollusk shells are suspended in the middle, aligning with the lower edge of the silver material.

The artist refers to this series, begun in 2012, which pairs golden or silver insulation material with various objects—such as empty cans, extravagant mollusk shells, or transparent bags with “undisclosed” liquids—as self-portraits. Their forms are in reference to a diagrammatic representation, translatable into a line drawing, if you will. The work plays on the sexual overtones associated with the motif of shells in traditional still-life painting, a reference to which the title playfully alludes.