Works by sculptor Karen LaMonte at the Hunter

For years, sculptor Karen LaMonte has studied the female form, eventually focusing on how clothing interacted with the form to create an entirely different entity.

“I enjoy the cultural transformation of the nude through dress,” she says in a video titled “Nocturnes by Karen LaMonte.”

The film focuses on a series of Nocturnes works, some of which are part of a 32-piece collection that will be on display for three months starting Friday at the Hunter Museum of American Art.

For the last two years, LaMonte has been creating pieces for her newest series, Floating World, which centers on her study of the Japanese kimono. Some of those pieces complete the Hunter collection.

LaMonte has done works in blown glass, bronze, clay and iron. The Nocturnes pieces were based on her interest in classical Greek and Roman figures, with clinging fabric designed to show off and compliment the female form.

In the video focusing on her newer work, “Floating World – The Mesmerizing Kimono Sculptures of Karen LaMonte,” she discusses her immersion into the world of the kimono, which is designed to hide or deemphasize a woman’s shape.

While her sculptures focus on the female form, the body itself is absent, though the form is very much there in the “fabric” of the piece.

Through her study in Japan, she learned every aspect of the kimono, from its construction to the significance of each design, pattern and piece.

“Every element of its design – the imagery, the sleeve length, the obi type and the way it is tied – is highly significant,” she says.

Also important is the fact that kimono is designed with the idea of a greater group.

“When a woman puts on a kimono,” LaMonte says, “the beauty of the clothing supersedes the beauty of its wearer.”

“Embodied Beauty: Sculptures by Karen LaMonte” will span the summer season, remaining on view through Sept. 2. An opening reception with the artist is scheduled Thursday evening, May 24.