AMoCA Collection | Taurus Moon, wood, paint, 5 x 57 x 28 in, 2005
RAIR | 2004-05
Christopher kurtz |
Many of my pieces have depicted familiar artifacts from our contemporary life. By representing these objects in another material, mainly wood, I want something surprising to happen in the translation. The sculptures suggest a narrative. Each piece potentially offers significant information, yet the story and its moral remain unclear. The work can seem playful or even soothing at first, but upon closer inspection the story begins to ferment. The notion of being caught between familiarity and surprise, between peace and disturbance, is very interesting to me. These are the transitory moments that I want my work to exist in. My work has a tendency to rely quite heavily on craftsmanship. By using a traditional material, wood, I am revisiting the "object" as a way of making sculpture. My pieces are built, carved, and sometimes painted to trompe l'oeil effect. There is, however, always an element that reveals its artifice, such as wood grain, knots, joinery or tool marks left showing. This is part of the concept.
Roswell Museum and Art Center
Rair exhibition • Christopher Kurtz • August 6 - September 18, 2005
