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19/10/2007

Dave Kinsey

BLK/MRKT Gallery, Culver City

Sure, Why Not

Los Angeles— BLK/MRKT Gallery is pleased to present “Sure, Why Not,” Los Angeles-based artist Dave Kinsey’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition will open with a reception on October 20th from 7-11pm, and continue through November 17th, 2007.

Kinsey's much-anticipated return to BLK/MRKT Gallery is punctuated by a bold new series of paintings that examine the role of identity in contemporary life—powerful images that simultaneously invoke the burden and frustration of apathy and the helpless rage of defeat. Straying from the figurative work for which he is best known—namely large-scale gallery and street installations that have attracted both national and international audiences—Kinsey takes cues from the current cultural climate to examine the intersection between the urban landscape and the human condition. In this new creative space, he examines the point where the abstract and figurative collide and the visual dialogue informed by that impact emerges. And while this new series of mixed media on canvas could be described as an evolution, traces of his signature visual language, in all its gritty and unvarnished glory, have not been abandoned. “The broken-up graffiti and abstract letterform references represent modern fingerprints of the urban environment,” Kinsey explains, “fragments and pieces act as a dialogue of conversations, identities, and messages.”

As always, Kinsey’s striking visuals urge audiences to take a closer look at the content of their surroundings; more is being asked of the viewer than to simply recognize that they should not blindly accept the circumstances of their existence. There is urgency in these paintings—a sense of restlessness with the world at large. “Apathy seems increasingly common in modern western culture,” Kinsey observes, “There is a general sense that people feel helpless or don't care to engage in issues that affect their lives and the lives of those around them.

Consumerism and even modern technology allows for an easy complacency.” Kinsey attacks these notions with thick swaths of black and red paint in wide gestures of movement that engage and bind the figures being depicted, at once suggesting victimization and complicity. Alluding to a not-so-distant heritage, yellowed pages of a vintage book peek out from behind the face of a troubled man; a lone tree is draped in white stars screened in red, bull rope wrapped tight around its trunk; a pair of aged eyes void of pupils stares past the viewer, tragic and abandoned. In addition to paintings on canvas, there will be a site-specific installation of canvases, backs facing forward, further exploring the notion of disconnect and non-resolution. In all, “Sure, Why Not” is an echo and call to reason.

Receiving both national and international acclaim as a fine artist and designer, and exhibiting in galleries stateside and overseas, Kinsey has been featured in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The London Times, Blackbook, and BLK/MRKT Two. He was also a guest lecturer at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts and the Semi-Permanent conference in Sydney, Australia this past year. Kinsey resides in Los Angeles with his partner Jana, three cats, a dog, and a potbellied pig.

Image: Dave Kinsey, “Or Nothing At All”, 2007, mixed media on canvas, 30 x 30 inches.

BLK/MRKT Gallery
6009 Washington Blvd. 310 - Culver City
Gallery hours, Tuesday through Friday, 11am-6pm; Saturday 12-6pm

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