Monique Meloche is pleased to announce
Kendell Carter
Common Ground
March 14 - April 19, 2008
opening reception for the artist Friday,March 14th 5-8pm
moniquemeloche
118 N. Peoria
Chicago, IL 60607
312.455.0299
www.moniquemeloche.com
hrs: tues-sat 11am-5pm
Looking to hip-hop as a model for a postmodern practice, Kendell
Carter refuses the classification of a “high” discourse
against a street or pop culture. Carter’s sculptural installations
and recent works on paper blend urban street culture with traditional
decorative elements -- Kangol hat lamp shades, Wassily chairs upholstered
in puffy jackets, graffiti tag coat racks. The result is clever and playful,
yet the superficial humor of these cultural juxtapositions only briefly
conceals the historical conflicts and contemporary issues that they ultimately
reference and reveal. This decorative sampling and re-mixing acts as both
a celebration and parody, embodying a society where social distinctions
are becoming increasingly indiscernible; traditional luxuries are antiquated,
urban becomes desirable and street culture is glamorized through songs,
television and music videos. Carter’s interiors highlight the idea
that even the most intimate aspects of our lives are reduced to the superficial,
their sole purpose being to project the desired image. The viewer, such
as in life, must consider and question how to interact with these uncanny
spaces. His work acts as a catalyst, spurning a dialogue involving race
relations, consumerism, wealth and utility.
Kendell Carter was born in New Orleans and lives in Los
Angeles. He received a BFA from Atlanta College of Art in 1994, studied
environmental design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and
received a MFA from California State University, Long Beach, CA in 2006,
Kendell Carter had his first solo show at the UCLA Hammer Museum in Los
Angeles in 2006/07 and received critical acclaim in publications such
as Art In America, Sculpture Magazine, LA Weekly and the Los Angeles Times.
Recent exhibition include solo shows at Mark Moore Gallery, Los Angeles
and Finesilver Gallery, Houston, and the group show "Blacks in and
out of the Box" at The California African American Museum, LA.
for more images and further information please contact Jenny Shedor
or Whitney Tassie at 312.455.0299
