Caryatid 3

No Longer Available

Medium

Terracotta

Dimensions

14x12x10"

Description

Much of my work is constructed through a lens of cultural hybridity: drawing from familial narratives, body, and multiplicity as avenues to examine assimilation. I’m fascinated by the interplay between individual and group, and create sculptural collections that trace and expand on notions of belonging, loss of individuality, and power of group dynamics. My clay work often references forms from ancient art histories as a way to re-present “ideal” through double entendre and humor. I try to find the funny in formal: creating suggestions of an Other through flesh, fruit, hair, and sex. As selfie, much of my figurative work incorporates Lacan’s conception of the self-image. I’m interested in the constructs of identity through unlimited possibilities associated with the material properties of clay, wood, metal, thread and more. Reflection and refraction are established through the inherent characteristics of the surface: opaque, glassy, and dark. Gaze and desire are elicited through the combination of seductive form and finish. Akin to Narcissus peering into the eternal void, surface entices, traps, and hides the viewer. In the larger context of my work, I’m interested in the perception of value and its relationship to history, craft, and authorship. I continually question these ideas through a uniquely sculptural perspective: examining how the material has been handled historically, and how I can use it to address body, taste, and objectification.

About this Artist

Kevin Kao

Born and raised in California, Kevin Kao is a sculptor that explores the construction of collective identity through figure, reflection, and multiplicity. His work has been exhibited internationally, including The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, CA and the Kranzberg Arts Center in St. Louis, MO. Recent awards include recognition as a 2021 finalist in the Young Sculptors Competition at Miami University, the Artist Support Grant from the Regional Arts Commission in St. Louis, and the Warren MacKenzie Advancement Grant presented by the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis. He has earned a B.S. in Biology – Ecology, Evolution and Animal Behavior from the University of California, San Diego; and an M.F.A. in Studio Art – Ceramics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Currently Kao resides in Greenville, SC serving as an Assistant Professor of Art at Furman University.

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