Kingdom Animalia Exhibition press

Here's a little piece of press for the show I'm in that is opening tonight. This is my little bit but the entire article is listed below along with the link if you want to see all the works in the article and a related video of works in the show.

"This exhibition also features deeply personal artworks, like Kyle Fokken's sculpture Haute Cochon (Piggy Bank Series), which was inspired by a glass piggy bank he had as a child. A colorful assemblage of recycled purses, the hog's narrative tells a heartbreaking tale. For Fokken, the pig represents the memory of his childhood piggy bank being destroyed by a family member to pay necessary bills during the 1980s farm crisis in Minnesota. The whimsical straps remind viewers of the purse's original function, tying directly to its deeper monetary connection to the artist."

Fridley Exhibition Takes Inspiration from the Natural World
Feb 2

Big Fake Goose by Bekah Worley

On Friday, February 3rd, the North Suburban Center for the Arts (NSCA) will host the opening reception for Kingdom Animalia, an exhibition inspired by the animal world and its wonder, peculiarities, and beauty.

The exhibition features artwork from over forty artists, and includes a variety of mediums—textiles, mosaic, painting, assemblage, photography, along with many others.

Collectively, the exhibition evokes the abundant diversity of the natural world and its inhabitants.

Kingdom Animalia is the largest taxonomic order of the living world, encompassing all of the planet's living and extinct animals. For this juried exhibition, artists were asked to submit works related to animals, an intentionally broad brief aimed to attract a multitude of interpretations. In many cases, artists submitted animal-inspired works deriving from aspects of their lives, memories, and—in some cases—a blend of both.

Dolores by Becka Rahn

For some artists, like fabric designer Becka Rahn, inspiration struck close to home. Her work in the exhibition, titled Dolores, is a velvet clutch adorned with a charming portrait of a plump toad gazing outward. "I am a fabric designer primarily. There are so many florals out there that they just seem boring to me. So I am always drawn to anything that's not a floral or botanical design," she writes. "I've always loved drawing animals, especially quirky ones. My sister sent me a photo of this little toad and I thought it was so pretty that it would make a fun fabric design."

"How can you not laugh when you see a giant toad on a velvet clutch bag!"

For other artists, like Naomi Hart and Sally Power, even their materials have connections to the natural world. Hart's work, Casting Shadows, combines beeswax with pigment to achieve a sculptural painting technique called encaustic painting. To create Bird #1, Power utilized a thickening agent derived from red seaweed (carrageenan) with acrylic paint to create the bird's features using the paper marbling process. "I pulled combs across the surface to get the fine pattern and finally used a stylus to move the paint to suggest wings and the bird's head," she notes. "Each print is unique." Power is part of the Midwest Marblers, and has been featured by Twin Cities PBS's series Minnesota Original—see her process here.

"I was inspired to try and catch the movement with my marbling which is also based on moving paint on a liquid surface."

This exhibition also features deeply personal artworks, like Kyle Fokken's sculpture Haute Cochon (Piggy Bank Series), which was inspired by a glass piggy bank he had as a child. A colorful assemblage of recycled purses, the hog's narrative tells a heartbreaking tale. For Fokken, the pig represents the memory of his childhood piggy bank being destroyed by a family member to pay necessary bills during the 1980s farm crisis in Minnesota. The whimsical straps remind viewers of the purse's original function, tying directly to its deeper monetary connection to the artist.

Haute Cochon (Piggy Bank Series) by Kyle Fokken

Judith Yourman's Bunny Pair, a set of ceramic wall hangings inspired by her daughters' early childhood drawings, also provide insight into the biography of the artist. "My work is a loose response to the early drawings of my twin daughters, which have inspired and moved me by their simplicity, humor, beauty, and emotional honesty," Yourman writes. Incised in clay, the bunnies hang on the wall in a playful fashion, as black stain draws out their hand drawn features.
IMG5450.jpgIMG5451.jpgIMG5465.jpgIMG5468.jpg

The opening reception for Kingdom Animalia is this Friday, February 3rd from 6-8pm at the Firehouse (110 77th Way NE) in Fridley. Light refreshments will be provided. All are welcome, and encouraged, to attend.

There will also be handcrafted items on sale from local makers, including pieces from Fox & Fables, Sidecar Ceramics, The Zero(ish) Co., LaLunette Jewelry, and several more.

Kingdom Animalia will be on view through March 5th. The NSCA is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 10am to 4pm, and on weekends from noon to 4pm.

For more information, follow us on Instagram @northsuburbanarts or online at northsuburbanarts.org.

https://www.northsuburbanarts.org/blog/animalia-opening?fbclid=IwAR0r6m1Sv2TOyqEJHIQapBcEI_q8wATCf7sbRDvdLlsJRWnKBjBibF1r8Jw