installation view, right: “The telephone is for you, paper cutout (photo by Brooke Truelove)
Hosted by Englewood Arts Center in Independence, Allan Winkler’s first retrospective exhibition, “Allan Winkler: A 50 Year Survey,” takes visitors on a whimsical excursion through the longtime Kansas City artist’s imagination.
Winkler inaugurated the show with a brief video in which he enjoined his audience that, “I don’t want to control what people think about the finished art.” And true to his word, the treasure trove of mirthful and surprising creations is offered to the world without pretense or even significant interpretation. The pieces, which meander throughout two floors of the gallery, are identified only by numbers, but the sheer authenticity of each work’s personality reassures visitors to Winkler’s fanciful world that everyone is welcome to their own experience there.
A Chicago native, Winkler earned a fine arts degree in ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute, but his catalog, as reflected in his extensive history of exhibitions, reflects a curiosity for all manner of media, from paper to metal to objects that others might consider mere garbage. “No. 10,” for instance, is a wall of friendly faces that Winkler has rendered from cardboard food packaging. No two are alike, and viewers may discover it disarmingly normal to find themselves at ease amidst the anthropomorphic village. The approach of gathering unique, albeit vaguely similar items, together is remarkably effective at humanizing objects as mundane as boxes that contained crackers or snack cakes.
The exhibition abounds with a vast combination of countenances, including sculptures and myriad examples of Winkler’s trademark paper cuttings. As visitors acclimate to the environment, it becomes clear that each piece is imbued with the genuine love of its progenitor. Even entries like “No. 31,” a metal sculpture resembling a gigantic crib mobile of faces that look more beast than man, spark tenderness and wonder.
Elsewhere in the space Winkler shares his proclivity for sewing. In one particularly notable hanging textile, a brightly adorned human couple is seen wrapping their arms around each other. Whether this moment marks the beginning or end of their embrace is left unsaid, but it is nonetheless a touching tribute to the importance and timelessness of the bonds people build with their loved ones.
As an ambassador of joy and jack of all trades, Winkler’s contribution to his community’s artistic dialogue is reminiscent of Lester Raymer, the beloved Lindsborg, Kansas-based artist who specialized in creating toys and jocular characters out of repurposed items. The ability to see potential in nearly everything and elevate the essence of simple objects is a hallmark of Winkler’s legacy and a prominent theme in “A 50 Year Survey.”
The variety of artwork represented in five decades of output is a reminder of people’s limitless capacity to love and be loved. In giving a soul to each piece of art he creates, Winkler assures us that across the breadth of diversity and backgrounds that constitute the human milieu, each of us is special and worthy of reverence.
“Allan Winkler: A 50 Year Survey” continues at Englewood Arts Center, 10901 East Winner Rd., Independence, through May 17. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. For information, 816.379.6011 or www.englewoodarts.art. For more, check out the new book, “Allan Winkler – Paintings, Drawings, Prints, and Murals” (Allan Winkler Art Books), covering Winkler’s work from 1969 through 2024 with essays by the artist, Peter Von Ziegesar and David Saunders, available at amazon.com.
