Christopher Boffoli’s photographs feature tiny people in a world of big food. Begun in 2002 and inspired by the films and television shows of his childhood, the Big Appetites series has been published in more than 100 countries around the world, and featured in the New York Times, Washington Post and Village Voice, among many more. His clever photographic vignettes evoke an uncanny likeness to the world at large and, while eminently humorous, also inspire deeper reflections of our relationship to food.
Thirty-Three: Celebrating 33 Years of the Independent Spirit & Sundance Film Festival
Thirty-Three: Celebrating 33 Years of the Independent Spirit & Sundance Film Festival showcases 33 artists who are at the forefront of contemporary visual art. Curated by 5-time Sundance alum Morgan Spurlock (CNN’s Morgan Spurlock Inside Man, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Web Junkie and Super Size Me) with additional co-curation by Jensen Karp and Katherine Sutton of the esteemed Gallery1988 in Los Angeles, the exhibition celebrates the high caliber of diverse and sometimes wild, but always thought-provoking 33 years of Sundance Film Festival. With a collection of artists that embody the Festival’s innovative, edgy, provocative spirit, Thirty-Three unites a group that runs the gamut of contemporary Pop Art and beyond and provides a platform for new thought and conversation. The Kimball Art Center is honored to premiere these artists and their works that celebrate film, vision and independence.
Participating Artists:
Buff Monster
Jon Burgerman
Molly Crabapple
D*Face
DABSMYLA
John Rozum
Ron English
Natalia Fabia
Shepard Fairey
Derek Gores
Carl Richards: This is Where I Draw the Line
Finances are never easy. Carl Richards, a Certified Financial Planner, is well known for his columns in the New York Times and other national publications where he makes complex financial concepts easy to understand. With a Sharpie® in hand, Richards’ simple sketches become social commentary at its best. Offering smart, visually compelling and often humorous observations of common behavior, his work helps focus attention on the decisions that really matter when it comes to money.
Holly Manneck: Popped & Twisted
Holly Manneck’s contemporary Pop Art merges the seminal styles of Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein with a unique approach to layering sources and a more personal level of expression. She mines popular culture, combining and recombining elements from our past and present to create a captivating body of work. From historic faces of the silver screen to Tootsie Roll® Pops and popcorn to social media, Manneck develops new and unexpected visual relationships. Her playful approach injects humor, and with each montage of iconic images, advertisements and objects, a new story emerges. For Manneck, the density and sometimes unexpected nature of the combined images speak to the complexity of everyday life, and the constant layering of stories, experiences, and memories that we experience.
Election 2007-2013
John Bell’s Election series is comprised of twenty-one, limited edition, digital archival prints created from hundreds of photographs of graffiti-laden political posters taken in Paris during the 2007 French presidential election. The prints are intricately layered composites, some up to ten layers deep. Bell meticulously juxtaposes the images, and boldly recolors them to convey an emotional and abstract narrative of what it felt like to be there, to capture the clash of opinions, politics and street culture. The end result created as Bell says “an unexpected collaboration with the people of Paris”.
On the occasion of the exhibition, the artist is debuting five new prints exclusively for the Kimball Art Center. Although shown at previous exhibitions, this will be the first time the series will be shown in its entirety along with a selection of the original photographs. More info, visit artistjohnbell.com
Ink, Paper, Scissors
Paper, in its early forms, has been around since the 2nd century BC, spreading from China to the Middle East, and then to medieval Europe in the 13th century, where the first paper mills were invented. We use paper daily, whether it be when reading a book, writing a note, paying for sundries, or off a roll in the loo to name a few. In art and in learning, paper is one of the first materials we all begin with as a surface and a medium for our creations, when we begin to write, draw, color, fold, cut.
Ink, Paper, Scissors is an exploration of this age-old material in its many shapes and forms. Come discover artists’ books, mile long love notes, 3-D pop-ups, lithographs, collages, even environmental paper installations. Whether pure white, or printed upon in a multitude of vibrant hues, paper has a delicate quality that makes it both ephemeral and accessible.
Works from notable American print publisher Shark’s Ink. — including prints by Enrique Chagoya, Red Grooms and Rex Ray to name a few — will be on display. Delicate paper constructions depicting the effects of huge natural disasters on man-made structures by Salt Lake based Czech artist Lenka Konopasek will challenge your notion of sculpture. And Danielle Wyckoff’s infinite paper love series and scrolls will mesmerize you. Come see how paper can surprise and inspire you.