AKRAM
Asheer Ak ram in studio. Photograph by R ich Sugg.
Asheer Akram: Sacred Spaces October 3, 2014 - January 24, 2015
Belger Crane Yard Studios 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 816.474.7316 | www.redstarstudios.org
Asheer Ak ram in studio. Photograph by R ich Sugg.
Asheer Akram Artist Statement 2015 As a Pakistani-American from the Midwest, I am fascinated by what defines a culture. For the past decade I’ve researched cultures from around the world. I’ve produced objects inspired by overlooked cultural aspects so that their importance is recognized, respected and preserved. Using the dynamic architectural and ornamental vocabulary of a specific culture, I create ceramic platters, metal domes, illuminated sculptures, and trucks. With my forms I strive to create a harmonious interplay between interior and exterior spaces, light and shadow, monumentality and weightlessness. My public art installations, culturallyinformed artwork, and projects unite local artists, communities and regions as creators. This was exemplified with the creation of the Pakistani Cargo Truck Initiative (PCTI), exhibited at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Fine Art in 2013. Since that time, PCTI has traveled to schools across the Midwest as an educational mobile art workshop. To me, being an artist is more than making objects. I believe art is about inspiring cultural and social awareness.
I nstallation view. Photograph by Matt Kocourek .
I nstallation view. Photograph by Matt Kocourek .
I nstallation view. Photograph by Matt Kocourek .
New A rabesque I, 2014 Solid oak , steel, powder coat, stainless steel and hardware 60” x 7” x 58” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
New A rabesque II, 2014 Solid oak , steel, powder coat, stainless steel and hardware 60” x 7” x 58” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Vesta, 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 26” x 26” x 10” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Vesta (detail), 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 26” x 26” x 10” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Captured Shadows I, 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 16”x 16” x 13.5” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Captured Shadows I (detail), 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 16”x 16” x 13.5” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Aqua, 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 27” x 27” x 5” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
G aia, 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 24” x 24” x 3.5” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Protot ype S even, 2014 Patina on core -tin and stainless steel 31” x 6” x 34” Cour tesy of Belger Crane Yard G aller y
Protot ype Eight, 2014 Patina on core -tin and stainless steel 31” x 6” x 34” Cour tesy of Belger Crane Yard G aller y
Asheer Ak ram in studio. Photograph by R ich Sugg.
Asheer Ak ram in studio. Photograph by R ich Sugg.
Broken Illuminations, 2014 R aw steel and hardware 9’ x 4’ x 6’ Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Broken Illuminations (detail), 2014 R aw steel and hardware 9’ x 4’ x 6’ Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Captured Shadows III, 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 19.5” x 19.5” x 5” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Captured Shadows III (detail), 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 19.5” x 19.5” x 5” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Captured Shadows II, 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 21” x 21” x 7.5” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Captured Shadows II (detail), 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 21” x 21” x 7.5” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Burst, 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 24” x 24” x 3.5” Cour tesy of Belger Crane Yard G aller y
G aia II, 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 24” x 24” x 3.5” Cour tesy of Belger Crane Yard G aller y
Melanoid, 2014 Stoneware and mixed media 26” x 26” x 4” Cour tesy of Belger Crane Yard G aller y
Luminous Girih, 2014 Steel, stoneware, glaze and enamel 49” x 4” x 87” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Mashrabiya I, 2014 Patina on steel with sealant and LED lights 26.5” x 4” x 87” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Mashrabiya I (detail), 2014 Patina on steel with sealant and LED lights 26.5” x 4” x 87” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Terra Wandering, 2014 Powder coated steel, galvanized steel and hardware 73” x 48” x 109” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Terra Wandering (detail), 2014 Powder coated steel, galvanized steel and hardware 73” x 48” x 109” Photograph by Matt Kocourek
Asheer Ak ram with The Pak istani Cargo Truck I nitiative. Photograph by R ich Sugg.
Born in Oklahoma City, OK in 1984, Asheer Akram is based in Kansas City, MO. He completed his BFA in sculpture at the Kansas City Ar t Institute in 2007. Akram's work is a commentar y on his cultural background and addresses themes of global culture in a wider context. His recent work is a hybrid of traditional Islamic ar t and aspects of American culture. He's interested in the movement of the fine ar ts and its role in defining culture. Akram selects obscure or overlooked elements that contribute to the fabric of a culture, and reinterprets them providing a new perspective and acknowledgment of their cultural significance. Akram’s work has been exhibited internationally and nationally and is included in several private and public collections.
Detail image of Mashrabiya in progress. Cour tesy of the ar tist.
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Belger Crane Yard Studios 速
Belger Arts Center
2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 816.474.7316 | www.redstarstudios.org