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Reveiw of Ken Price Exhibit at Johnson County Community College Gallery of Art, summer 1997
Ceramics in the service of colorful organic sculpture describes west coast artist Ken Price's current work on display at JCCC's Gallery of Art. Connotations of bubble gum, silly 60's sci-fi blobs, molars, the Incredible Hulk, and pools of gurgling ooze frozen at any given moment contrast with other meanings conveyed by the single, central orifice each piece has and which directly faces the viewer in each one. All works date from 1995-97.
Animal or vegetable, one is tempted to physically explore the work by touching and caressing the smooth contours and soft lustre. The largest pieces are not much more than two feet in dimension on any side, thus they are comfortably-scaled. The same forms could be imposing on a larger scale. There was no accompanying statement by the artist evident at the Gallery, but Price must have had fun creating this work.
Each piece is slightly elevated above its display base by virtue of three to six, integral, nipple-like 'feet' which support it. Most are of a one- or two-color scheme, either fluorescent like the fluorescent yellow and greens of Phobia and Green Glow, or of more muted colors reminiscent of lichens and moist earth.
Shadow is a vertical rather than horizontal piece, a deep red currant color with yellow 'dots'. The dots really look to be small spots where previous layers of acrylic paint have been rubbed through revealing many concentric ring patterns in miniature. This technique is used in several of the works. Shadow lends itself to an interpretation as a head with bulbous temples and eye lobes, puffy jaws and a weak chin; here the orifice serves as the mouth.
Unlike all of the other pieces, the aptly named yellow-green Phobia has a sharp-edged, funnel like orifice. This shape and sharpness is more aggressive and warns the viewer to be wary of it. Entrances to the orifices in the remainder of works are round-edged and cooler toned inviting exploration.
The two largest works are of more solid, single colors; Celtic is a royal blue with some faint pinkish highlights (which may have come from the gallery lighting), Phantom is a deep, steely blue. The use of a single color begs investigation of form and contour rather than the surface investigations other pieces invite.
The show is up at the same time as the work of another ceramic artist, Michael Lucero, who currently has exhibits at Cohen- Berkowitz and Kemper Museum, both in Kansas City, MO. Each artist makes 'alternative' use of ceramic in creating pieces that are not functional as traditional ceramics are. Each artist also makes extensive use of color. However, unlike Lucero's work, the fact the material is ceramic does not seem to be addressed in the pieces Price has created. One only knows they are ceramic because the information provided with the show indicates as much. It seems these pieces could have just as well been cast, carved, or molded. One dimension of artistic investigation therefore, namely the choice of material or media as it relates to the concepts, appears to have been missed.
The show continues at the JCCC Gallery of Art, Overland Park, KS through July 5, 1997.
Alex Karsnick
06/27/97
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