At the front end of the baby boom, Chris Radtke (b.1946, Detroit, MI) sits at the cusp of what has been called the “oldest of the old,” a reality she parses daily and which informs her art. The Louisville-based American visual artist is best known for Notes on Self, a 20-year on-going series. This series began with pieces in wood and shattered glass and has evolved into her latest works: ethereal mesh sculptures.

Both the earlier and later pieces map the precise sliver of space her body occupies, with the surrogates subtly responding to the surrounding atmosphere and the inescapable force of gravity over time. In her latest work, multiples of the cellular mesh pieces can be configured into large networks responding directly to the architecture of a space.

Radtke’s work is held in the collections of the Speed Art Museum and 21c Museum and has been exhibited at institutions including the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art and the Cincinnati Museum of Art. She received her BFA from Michigan State University. Notably, she collaborated with the Louisville Ballet in 2016, creating a 300-piece backdrop for a George Balanchine production.