An Installation Story
MKG Art Management excels in guiding private collectors in acquiring works that are unique, surprising, and personal. In MKG’s featured collection this month, our client is drawn to unusual media and texture. From the origami-like pixelated and folded photographs of Texas artist Rusty Scruby (above left), to Dirk De Bruycker’s canvas embedded with asphalt, gesso, and oil (above right), these works pack a powerful punch.
Jae Ko’s wall sculpture draws inspiration from unusual and extreme forms found in nature. Ko creates her vertical coiling forms out of tightly wound adding machine tape. After soaking the paper in traditional Korean inks, Ko forms the shape on a pottery wheel. Finally she coats the paper sculpture in glue and graphite. The resulting matte red form has metallic sheen, but the heft of the material looks like rubber.
German born artist Markus Linnenbrink’s viscous rivulets of epoxy resin result in wall pieces that balance sculpture and painting (above left). Similarly, Gavin Perry, inspired by the exuberant car culture of his native Miami, shellacs vinyl tape with thick enamel, creating heavy, shiny works on board with dramatic visual heft (above right).
Leo Villareal (below), on the other hand, brings a studied intellectualism to his work in light and movement, focusing on mathematical coding. Once Villareal sets the mathematical rules for a particular work of art, he allows the resulting light display to repeat and grow organically, incorporating an element of chance in their constant change and repetition.
The common denominators in this collection are rich color and uncommon media. The unique methodology and material of all these works combine with the unique vision of the collector to form a vibrant and warm collaboration.
Houston Happenings…
MFAH Breaks Ground
On October 15th, 2015 The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston formally broke ground on the Fayez S. Sarofim Campus, and also announced Deborah Nevins & Associates as the project’s landscape architect. The campus will feature the new Glassell School of Art building and the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building which will house Modern and contemporary art. Both are designed by Steven Holl Architects, as well as the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation, which is designed by Lake|Flato Architects. The Sarofim Campus plan will transform the 14 acres of the MFAH property into a pedestrian-friendly cultural zone. Completion is slated for late 2019.
Rice Gallery Presents Intersections, by Anila Quayyum Agha
Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha uses light and cast shadow to transform Rice Gallery into a place that refers to Islamic sacred spaces, specifically inspired by the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. From the 11th – 15th centuries, the last Muslim dynasty in Spain ruled from the fortress.
In Intersections, Agha creates a contemplative space using simple means: a single, bright light suspended from the ceiling shines through an intricately cut black wooden box. Within Intersections, no clear boundary or separation exists; the nature of the pattern changes as the viewer walks freely through the space. Rice Gallery is open 11 am to 5 pm Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday; 11 am to 7 pm on Thursday ; Closed Sunday
MKG Watch List
- Dallas native Josh Reames has recently garnered a great deal of attention for his vibrant canvases, with exhibitions in Milan, London, Mexico, Los Angeles and Chicago. His paintings feature an amalgamation of seemingly nonsensical objects, like graffiti, Rene Magritte’s pipe, technicolored fruits, and floating computer graphics. His artwork draws attention to the constant stream of disconnected visual information that we experience on a daily basis. Josh Reames is represented by Luis de Jesus in Los Angeles.
- Balancing on the line between painting and sculpture, John Miserendino utilizes natural marble as his canvas and colored dye as his paint, enlivening the unseen seams within the stone. The artist has employed equal parts science and chance to develop techniques that pull, and remove the dye from the marble. John Miserendino is represented by Louis B. James in New York City.
- New York based artist Leslie Wayne uses paint in a sculptural manner, resulting in artwork that takes on a three-dimensional form. The artist draws her inspiration from geology, and the layers, colors, and textures of the natural landscape. Leslie Wayne is represented by Jack Shainman Gallery in New York City.
- Zach Harris has been on the “MKG Watch List” for some time. Harris’ carved and painted reliefs are at once abstract, illusionistic, and narrative. His work encompasses historical cultural reference in a mashup of painting and sculpture. Zach Harris is represented by Feuer Mesler in New York City.