June 2 – August 4, 2018, Opening Reception June 2, 7-10pm
STNDRD presents Zest by Katie Kirk. Prompted by a flag’s aspirational nature, Zest is a celebration of the body, difference, and materiality. The piece is an exercise in creating a whole out of parts, a process of negotiation through material. Acrylic paint skins are collaged on top of printed fabric and wooden dowels provide a spinal brace for the piece. Both physical and visual joints are created in the transitions from one material to another. This pulls the piece out of the realm of the image and into the physical. In its making, the flag becomes an artifact of the artist’s movements–a splatter of paint, a hand sewn line, a gooey shoe print. Zest is an invitation to rejoice, indulge, and take pleasure in the moment.
Katie Kirk is an artist and independent curator currently living and working in Los Angeles. She earned a BA in Film and Television Production from Loyola Marymount University and an MFA in Painting & Drawing from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited in artist-run spaces in Los Angeles, Chicago, Springfield, and St. Louis. In addition, she has shown in institutions and galleries including the Torrance Art Museum, Pennsylvania State University, and Brandt-Roberts Gallery. She has an upcoming solo show at Open Mind Art Space in Los Angeles in August 2018.