I realize, looking back at my previous post, that I didn’t describe what I actually do. While my artist’s statement is at the bottom of this blog page, I’ve found that one of the best descriptions of my work was provided by Louis Tuckman in an article in Culture Vulture, who playfully described what I do as “psychedelically religious sculptural homages to materialism.”
That seemed to capture both the ‘conceptual’ and ‘fun’ aspects of my work & it was a real pleasure to have somebody describe what I do (rather than always having to be the one to write about myself in the form of Artist Statements, proposals, etc.).
Louis wrote that article in November as a review of the Open Studios at Patrick Studios in Leeds where I’m based. That was the end of a hugely busy year for me, as I was completing a Canada Council Project Grant (funding a new series of sculptural pieces), and had been exhibiting in several shows, including Sampler in New York, Vantage Art Prize in Leeds, Click + Spill in York, The Independent Artist’s Fair (TIAF) in London, and Collision (Nancy Victor Gallery, London).
I also had my first international solo show – at ReTramp Gallery in Berlin – and took part in my first international residency: Ethnographic Terminalia in Chicago at the Washington Park Arts Incubator.
Beyond my solo practice, I also collaborate with another artist, Julien Masson, with whom I make large-scale sculptures – including a commission in Winchester in October/November for 10 Days/Creative Collisions. This was followed immediately afterwards by Quay Arts’ Duets Open, which showcased one of our new Perspex sculptures. Most recently we opened a new exhibition of our collaborative work at The Point in Eastleigh. The show, called Level Up, includes several of our 2D and 3D pieces, including a new sculpture commissioned by The Point, designed digitally and made from laser-cut Perspex and vinyl. It is open until April 2014.
Now that the show has opened, and some of the big projects from 2013 are all finished, I’m excited to get back into my solo artwork creation. I’ll post soon about the progress of new artwork. In the meanwhile, here are some images of previous projects. Or, please see my Facebook page or website below for more portfolio pics.
www.iankirkpatrick.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/iankirkpatrickartist
