Cassidy Toner. Besides the Point
Manor Art Prize 2025
Dealing with aspects of failure may be the fundamental motif in the works of the Basel based US artist Cassidy Toner (b. 1992), in the spirit of Samuel Beckett's motto Try again. Fail better. Often dryly invoking dark themes such as fear, mortality and destructive behavior patterns, her artistic persona conveys a humorous, tragicomic attitude.
Toner’s work unfolds in precise installations that employ combinations of drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, text, and video. In these she interweaves references to her own biography with fiction, global events, and pop-cultural phenomena. For her wryly courageous work, Toner was awarded the Manor Art Prize, which includes an exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel. However, within her work, the concept of failure might be seen as a necessary component of artistic endeavor on the path to success.
