Exhibition Description

 

EDITION Feature:
David Klamen and Timothy van Laar
June 15 – July 27, 2019

View photos of exhibition

 

Simone DeSousa EDITION is pleased to present a special feature of new ceramic sculptures by David Klamen and new collage works by Timothy van Laar.

Known for his painting work, David Klamen has most recently ventured into the realm of ceramic sculpture.  These new works, being presented for the very first time, are comprised of heterogeneous clay elements—wheel-thrown vessels, domestic items, playful representations of animals, kitsch, and miscellaneous tchotchkes—that are fused together into interlocking sculptural forms.  In each, the layered and fragmented components recall the countless experiences, ambitions, failures, and questionable memories that coalesce to constitute our sense of self.  Together, they build a structure shaped by gravity, chance, and the nature of the material, revealing contingent relationships, unexpected pairings, and the echoes of buried past creations.

In many, a single sculpted element rises to the top of the work – a rooster, waving cartoon kitten, a sleeping piglet, and others.  These seem to suggest a current moment of confidence in creation that stands content atop the heap of deceased sculptural relatives.  In others, a functional vessel or element completes the work, providing an opportunity to drink a ceremonial toast or light a candle while reflecting on the bittersweet past, affirming this moment, while committing to future ambitions.

Timothy van Laar’s collage series Arid Lands I–V is derived from images found in interior design magazines and in books about deserts. Various sensory words and small drawings within each piece respond to the collaged photographic images. The collages suggest open-ended questions about the relationship between nature and culture, between a consumerist and a landscape sublime, and between contemporary domestic life and issues of the broader environment. The instability and disruption always present in collage offer slippery webs of meaning.

 

David Klamen earned his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts at the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana, and his Master’s of Fine Arts in Painting at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.  Klamen’s work has been exhibited in international-level solo and group exhibitions across the US, Europe and Asia.  His works are in the permanent collections of numerous museums including: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; the Elvehjem Museum of Art in Madison, Wisconsin; The Berkeley Museum of Art in California; The Illinois State Museum, Springfield; the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea; and the McNay Museum, San Antonio.

Timothy van Laar is a Detroit visual artist and writer who has exhibited his artwork nationally and internationally. The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Illinois State Museum, and Herman Miller are among the collections that include his artwork. Fulbright, Yaddo, the Howard Foundation, the Karl Hofer Gesellschaft, and the Ucross Foundation have supported his creative activities. He has co-authored three books and has written numerous reviews and essays. He received his MFA degree from Wayne State University and, more recently, served as Professor and Chair of Fine Arts at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.