Bobby Silverman’s Tirana (2015), a 20 by 15-foot work created from vinyl wallpaper and glazed ceramic, is part of the “Chromaphilia” section of the “Chromaphilia | Chromaphobia” exhibition at the Kansas City Art Institute Gallery. Image courtesy of Leslie Ferrin and Sherry Leedy.
Inaugural show at KCAI Gallery explores fear and love of color.
As Kansas City gears up for the 50th annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), it seems fitting that the newly named Kansas City Art Institute Gallery is planning an exhibit of works by alumni of its esteemed ceramics department.
“Chromaphobia | Chromaphilia” marks the gallery’s first exhibition under the Kansas City Art Institute and gallery director Michael Schonhoff. The school received the downtown exhibition space as a gift from alumnus Margaret Silva, who recently closed the Grand Arts project space she established 20 years ago.
The Kansas City Art Institute Gallery’s inaugural exhibit, organized and conceptualized by artist Marcus Cain, will be displayed in concurrent parts exploring Chromaphobia, fear of color, and Chromaphilia, love of color.
The two concepts set up a playful dichotomy between works that demonstrate the powerful impact of color and glazing versus works that are focused on concepts and form. Connecting threads lie in the psychological investigations of the featured artists.
“Chromaphobia” is curated by artist Peregrine Honig, who, judging from the illustrated check list, is rising to the challenge of presenting a show with minimal pigment. Honig plans to display all of the objects on a room-spanning, whitewashed shelf, and add depth to the installation by selecting works that “turn material into thought…are embodied energy…works that have a conversation with each other.”
The small scale of the primarily white objects will draw viewers in close to focus on intricate details. Laura DeAngelis, for example, incorporates the ancient Egyptian technique of encaustic, applying beeswax to the surface of her sculpture Hybrid Vigor. Adorned by a collar of red roses, the snowy arctic rabbit shines with a pearlescent body. It defies expectation with its dual heads—two sets of enormous, pearl-encrusted ears and black eyes seem alive with a certain intelligent vitality.
A video by Ben Harle, Faded Memories Part II, suspends disbelief. Viewers will have to decipher whether they are looking at an object, photograph or moving image. Harle celebrates the historic tradition of clay as the earliest recordings of human civilizations. In the video, a white table and fluorescent lights recall natural history conservation labs, and technicians work closely with fragments of prehistoric pottery.
The “Chromaphobia” section of the show will also feature works by Armando Ramos, Nobuhito Nishigawara, Theodosia Pulitzer, Teri Frame and Linda Lighton in collaboration with Mark Southerland.
“Chromaphilia,” curated by James Martin, considers the “interplay between color and the human psyche.” The featured works will explore “the history of human use of color in art, architecture and self-adornment; the impact of color on emotions and moods; the history of ceramics; and the history of the use of color in ceramic glazes.”
Robert Silverman’s large-scale installation, Tirana, named for Albania’s capital city, exemplifies many of these directions. In 2000, when artist Eddie Rama became the mayor of Tirana, he transformed the city’s dull, grey Soviet-era buildings—and the spirit of their inhabitants— by painting them in loud colors and bold designs.
Silverman’s installation, employing commercial tile and glaze materials, is a tribute of sorts to Rama’s vision. In an artist statement, Silverman said he seeks to blur “the traditional lines drawn between art, design and architecture… and elevate everyday materials and give them meaning beyond their manufactured intent.”
Kahlil Irving also demonstrates an attraction to commonplace materials in Collaged Mass. Slip clay casts of an empty take-out food container and green-tinted soda bottle (objects typically considered “throwaway” items in daily life) rest on the topmost layer of the sculpture.
“Works like Collaged Mass are to connect colors from the urban environment and tangle them with symbolic iconography from my life,” Irving states. “The colors can deal with multiple cultures; the images relate to nature and food, even text from the newspaper. I’m multi-racial, and my work is an expression of the complicated spaces that I inhabit.”
“Chromaphilia” will also feature works by Cary Esser, Christian Holstad, Debbie Kupinsky, Lauren Mabry, and Joey Watson.
“Chromaphobia | Chromaphilia” will close June 3. In the meantime, Schonhoff is contemplating the best path for the gallery’s future. One direction is a semester-long artist residency program at the gallery, where the artist would work with KCAI faculty, students, and the broader arts community, and have access to equipment, voluminous studio room, and flexible exhibition space. Another idea is to use the space for a more focused interdisciplinary program for students who want to cross mediums and explore multidisciplinary pursuits.
“Chromaphobia | Chromaphilia” continues at Kansas City Art Institute Gallery, 1819 Grand Blvd., through June 3. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. For more information, 816.914.5394.
