Hot Coffee conversation with Audrée Anid, curator, artist and director of special projects at James Cohan Gallery
Published Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Audrée Anid embodies the New York art world, combining being an artist with being a curator, working in a busy, well-known gallery. In an era when the ethnic backgrounds of cultural workers draw considerable attention, Anid’s special projects at James Cohan Gallery consistently stand out for their versatility, curiosity, and openness. Recently, we caught up when Audrée was working on the solo exhibition of the late American artist Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011), now on view at the gallery. We spoke about Toshiko Takaezu, as well as how to wear many hats in the art industry in New York and stay sane.
Nina: Imagine you are in your favorite coffee or tea spot. Where is it? What are you drinking? What are the three things you see right now?
AA: I’m drinking an almond milk latte (hot) with a dash of cinnamon. A perfectly twisted cardamom bun, speckled with Swedish pearl sugar, sits on a plate. I’m overlooking the Baltic Sea and sitting outside. It’s warm, but not overwhelmingly so. My sunglasses are neatly folded on top of a worn-out book.
Installation view, Toshiko Takaezu: Bronzes, James Cohan, New York. Courtesy of Private collection and James Cohan, New York. Photo by Dan Bradica.
Nina: Please tell us more about the solo exhibition of Toshiko Takaezu titled Bronzes on view at James Cohan Gallery through July 25th. Is it the first time you're working with the artist's legacy? What was the most striking element of these monumental sculptural works on view that sparked your vision for the installation?
AA: The late American artist Toshiko Takaezu is recognized for her masterful and painterly ceramic forms, but is less known for her ambitious series of bronzes. This exhibition spotlights her monumental outdoor sculptures, some of which haven’t been exhibited in decades. I’ve had the great honor of working on several Takaezu projects over the last three years at art fairs, in focused presentations, and in collaboration with international galleries.
This is the first time James Cohan is devoting the main galleries of the 48 Walker Street location to Takaezu’s work, and rightly so. Her bronzes take up space, both in a physical and psychological way. The goal was to encourage “active seeing,” by inviting visitors to circumnavigate the sculptures and experience their textures, patinas, and sheer magnitude. For example, Tree-Man Forest, 1989, a collection of bronze tree-trunks and cosmic globes, is situated in a bed of white pebbles. We intentionally brought the natural world inside to create a contemplative atmosphere.
Installation view, Toshiko Takaezu: Bronzes, James Cohan, New York. Courtesy of Private collection and James Cohan, New York. Photo by Dan Bradica.
Nina: Can you please focus on one specific work that stands out to you and situate it within Takaezu's long and multifaceted artistic practice, but also her life and time?
AA: Takaezu’s majestic Three Graces, ca. 2000s, is an exemplary work that synthesizes formal elements of her classical ceramic forms with the bronze medium. Takaezu began her ‘closed forms’ in the 1950s, pushing her work in clay into the realm of sculpture. She treated her surfaces with gestural applications of glaze, which drew influence from the Abstract Expressionism movement. The Three Graces is one of the last bronzes in Takaezu’s oeuvre; she was in her 80s at the time of its completion. The brushy and dripping patinas on each undulating form echo Takaezu’s dynamic glazing process.
Installation view, Toshiko Takaezu: Bronzes, James Cohan, New York. Courtesy of Private collection and James Cohan, New York. Photo by Dan Bradica.
Nina: For how long have you been curating exhibitions? How did this path start for you? What was the biggest insight you have gained so far working with artists and their legacies?
AA: I started curating more than a decade ago. I think about the term a lot because it has expanded in many ways. I consider myself to be a planner and connector who joins ideas, artists, and physical works of art. I’ve honed these skills to orchestrate exhibitions over the years, in various contexts with the support of my peers. I built up a network of artists by simply living, working and creating in New York City.
While at the gallery, my role has encompassed organizing several projects that focus on artists who’ve left behind masterful works after their passing and reframing their practice for contemporary audiences. It comes with its own set of challenges. A primary concern is reckoning with the responsibility of honoring their work in a thoughtful way that isn’t reductive. Careful research is crucial in this process.
Audrée Anid, Violet haze (poppies), 2025, Acrylic and gouache on canvas,16 x 12 x 1.5 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Izzy Leung.
Nina: In addition to your position at the gallery, you are also a practicing artist. How do these diverse roles you take on within the arts influence each other? What is the most exciting artistic project you are currently undertaking?
AA: They all inform each other. The exhibitions I organize are modes of expression for me. I approach every decision creatively, which includes the visual presentation of the art and building a model and language that contextualizes their work. I have this same sensibility when I approach my practice.
I am working on a series of intimately-scaled floral acrylic paintings, pairing a flat, single-hued background with delicate brushwork. They are introspective meditations on navigating grief and heartbreak, but are also about finding small moments of acceptance and brightness.