Kim Humphries: Certain Areas by Bruno David Gallery

KIM HUMPHRIES CERTAIN AREAS

KIM HUMPHRIES: CERTAIN AREAS January 13 - February 4, 2006 Bruno David Gallery 3721 Washington Boulevard Saint Louis, 63108 Missouri, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Director: Bruno L. David This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition Kim Humphies: Certain Areas. Editor: Bruno L. David Catalog Designer: Yoko Kiyoi Design Assistants: Sage A. David and Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Bruno David Gallery and Kim Humphries Artwork photos by Bruno David Gallery staff Cover Image: Kim Humphries. Card, 2006. Digital print, 18 x 24 inches (detail) Copyright ÂŠ 2006 Bruno David Gallery, Inc. and Bruno david Gallery Publications All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery, Inc.

Contents

Essay by Daniel Raedeke Afterword by Bruno L. David Checklist of the Exhibition Biography

Essay by Daniel Raedeke 2

If the 20th Century German Artist, Kurt Schwitters had composed his famous Merzbau from the contents of suburban midwestern basements, it may have looked something like the interior of Kim Humphries’ home studio. Humphries works in the midst of a dense clutter of collected transient artifacts. Crochet wall hangings suspend above sorted aggregates of found drift wood sculpture, geode rock collections and miscellaneous tchotchkes. Boxes of seashells, feathers and candles pile up on abandoned handyman projects and homemade furniture. Humphries’ workspace is a microcosm of his artistic process, a sort of pedestrian wunderkammer of discard art, altered found objects and kitsch that plumbs the depths of bad taste – an explosion in a craft mall. As chief curator and custodian of this marginalized utopia, Humphries excavates, finds, salvages, considers, sorts, categorizes and alters his current cache - viewing each stage as essential to the overall work. But Humphries’ projects are not approached as a body of work that is preplanned and implemented from an isolated studio. They are the consummation of a process in time, based on the starting point of each exhibition opportunity. When presented with such an opportunity, Humphries asks, “what ought to happen here?” For Certain Areas, a key question was how to deal with the expectations and assumptions of a commercial gallery space. Humphries’ answer seems to be to confound through concession. Just as a debater, ready to destabilize an argument, agrees with an opponent on some matters, Humphries readily adopts much of the gallery setting and its appointments all the while diverting them towards a prospect for innovative dialogue and fresh discourse. As Humphries’ collections occupy and perhaps invade the natural habitat of the gallery, the accrual of objects takes on a museological air while a miasma of their origins lingers on. The pedestal, a traditional gallery convention, becomes part found art object part display stand. Digital prints from Humphries’ photo collection reinforce the context of the artists’ hunting and gathering and are as much about the process of his work as finished pieces. The wall piece, Git-R-Done, is an appropriation in an appropriation on paneling, a Humphries history painting culled from the side of a local plumber’s truck. Much of the work invites audience participation and mutual involvement. The audience serves as a sounding board for work. In the sculpture Certain Things, contemporary video installation is given a new twist with the intentionally clumsy

“hard to follow mix” which is literally hard to follow as viewers are coaxed into an awkward radial dance. The Mississippian a log replete with upholstered seat cushion presents a workstation for an unexplained ritual. Humphries’ focus on context and recontextualization is exaggerated by his inclusion of natural artifacts repurposed as art. With his sub collections of driftwood, rocks and seashells, Humphries is encouraging us to imagine his work’s indeterminate origins and improbable migration to its new temporary home. The Angles of Repose sculptures acknowledge their own inherent materiality by mimicking the steepest angle at which a pile of unconsolidated matter remains stable. Certain Areas occupies the space between the strange and familiar, between cliché and archetype, between the natural and artificial. As Humphries suggests, “You will find art to sit on, art to smell, art that seems to have found its way out of the basement - art that appears to have resurfaced after hundreds of millions of years.”

--Daniel Raedeke Daniel Raedeke is an artist. His work was recently on view in a one person exhibition at Laumeier Sculpture Park. He is scheduled to exhibit new work with the Bruno David Gallery during the 2006-2007 Season. This essay is one in a series of the gallery’s exhibitions written by fellow gallery artists and friends.

Afterwords by Bruno L. David.

I am pleased to exhibit a new series of work by Kim Humphries at the Bruno David Gallery. Kim Humphriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exhibition, Certain Areas, includes pedestals, painting and prints- all of the trappings traditionally associated with galleries and museums. However in Humphriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; work the pedestals themselves merge into art; the painting is presented by non-traditional means, and the prints are digital images gathered while searching for collateral material. Humphries offers the viewer art to sit on, art to smell, art that seems to have found its way out of the basement - art that appears to have resurfaced after hundreds of millions of years. Kim Humphries was a 2003 Great River Biennial Visual Arts Award recipient. His previous solo exhibition, Collection, was on view at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. His work has been included in group exhibitions in both Cincinnati and St. Louis. He received his B.F.A. from the Indiana University, and his Master of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland (1984). He lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri. --Bruno L. David, Director

Checklist of the Exhibition and Images

In Reserve, 2006

Wood satnd, candles, cable ties 48 x 12 x 12 inches (121.92 x 30.48 x 30.48 cm)

Area #4 (Green), 2006, in Background: Certain Places #1 Artist fabricated lamp, ottman, table with book, Dimentions variable

Area #4 (Green) (detail), 2006

Artist fabricated lamp, ottman, table with book, Dimentions variable

Git-R-Done, 2006

Acrylic on paneling 96 x 96 inches (243.84 x 243.84 cm)

Storage Unit, 2006

Found boxes, feathers, rocks, cable ties 9 x 9 x 13 inches (22.86 x 22.86 x 33.02 cm)

The Mississippian, 2006

Wood, leather, cable, paint cans, sand, geodes Dimentions variable

Certain Places #2, 2006

GiclĂŠe digital print with pigment toner 18 x 24 inches (45.72 x 60.96 cm), edition 1/3

Certain Places #3, 2006

GiclĂŠe digital print with pigment toner 18 x 24 inches (45.72 x 60.96 cm), edition 1/3

Certain Places #4, 2006

GiclĂŠe digital print with pigment toner 18 x 24 inches (45.72 x 60.96 cm), edition 1/3

Certain Things (the hard to follow mix), 2006

Original DVD video, portable player, turntable, artist pedistal

Certain Places #5, 2006

GiclĂŠe digital print with pigment toner 24 x 18 inches (60.96 x 45.72 cm), edition 1/3

Momento To The Imperial Hotel, 2006

Lincoln Logs, wood stand, cable ties 61 x 20 x 20 inches (154.94 x 50.80 x 50.80 cm)

Momento To The Imperial Hotel (detail), 2006 Lincoln Logs, wood stand, cable ties 61 x 20 x 20 inches (154.94 x 50.80 x 50.80 cm)

Angle of Response (Shells, Driftwood, Rocks), 2006

Wood stand, seashells, coral, driftwood, cypress knees, rocks Size variable

Certain Essence, 2006

Crock pot, artist pedistal, cognac, star anise Dimentions variable

Kim Humphries: Recent Areas at Bruno David Gallery, 2006 (Installation View - detail)

KIM HUMPHRIES Born in New Philadelphia, Ohio Lives and works in Saint Louis, Missouri EDUCATION M.F.A. B.F.A.

1984, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland 1982, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

SELECTED ONE-ARTIST EXHIBITIONS 2006 2004 2000 1999 1997 1996

Bruno David Gallery, Certain Areas, Saint Louis, Missouri Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Collection, Saint. Louis, Missouri Weston Art Galleries, Paintings, Cincinnati, Ohio Semantics, Gillombardoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hams, Cincinnati, Ohio DiLeia Contemporary, Tertiaty Revisionism, Forty Years of Truth and Fiction, The Ottoman Project, Bobo a Baby Gorilla, Cincinnati, Ohio Teplitzky and Scott Fine Art, Recent Work, Cincinnati, Ohio

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2006 2005 2004 2003

Overview, Bruno David Gallery, Saint Louis, Missouri Inaugural Exhibition, Bruno David Gallery, Saint Louis, Missouri Ideas into Objects, Weston Art Galleries, Cincinnati, Ohio Eight The Hard Way, Philip Slein Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Art in St. Louis, Curated by Bruno L. David, Elliot Smith Contemporary Art, Saint Louis, Missouri 1984-2004 Twentieth Anniversary Celebration, Curated by Bruno L. David, Elliot Smith Contemporary Art, Saint Louis, Missouri Recent Developments, Fort Gondo Gallery, Saint Louis, Missouri Evidence divided by ephemera is greater to or equal than experience: A show about process, Semantics Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio

2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996

Untitled: THE SEQUEL, smaller cheaper, Fort Gondo Gallery, Saint Louis, Missouri INSTALLATION, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Covington, Kentucky Three Day Weekend, Critical Mass, Saint Louis, Missouri Portraits, Jorgensen Gallery, New York, New York. This Side Up, Spaces, Cleveland, Ohio Semantics, Semantics Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio More Dirt, Dirt Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri Time Store, DiLeia Contemporary, Cincinnati, Ohio New Spaces, Semantincs Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio Out.Fit, Newsense Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio Snapshot, Art Orgy, Seattle, Washington Built, Rike Center Gallery, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio project-t, Cultural Machine Complex, Cincinnati, Ohio Redundant Redundant, DiLeia Contemporary, Cincinnati, Ohio Alex’s Cookies, Semantics, Cincinnati, Ohio

BIBLIOGRAPHY Raedeke, Daniel. Bonetti, David. Raedeke, Daniel. Beall, Hugh. Bonetti, David. Cooper, Ivy. Beall, Hugh. Meyer, Jen. McClanahan, Kristie. Miller, Rob. Cooper, Ivy. Bonetti, David. Crone, Tomas. Beall, Hugh. Miller, Rob. Beall, Hugh.

Bruno David Gallery Publications, Catalog, Essay, 2006 “Art opening crowd the fall schedule.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 17, 2006 “Kim Humphries: Recent Areas.” Bruno David Gallery’ Series of Introductions, January 2006 “Kim Humphries at Bruno David Gallery”, Illusion Junkie, January 2006. Web Video. http://hugh.dvcue.com/kim-humphries-bruno-david-art.mov “Critical Mass: The Week’s Best Bets.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 8, 2006 “Current Shows: Ivy Cooper Encapsulates the St. Louis Art Scene.” Riverfront Times, January 25, 2006 “Spirit of Duchamp is Alive and Well in Kim Humphries’ Work.” West End World, January 18-24, 2006, St. Louis, MO. “Four Hearfelt Tales of How Holiday Traditions Can Evolve.” Sauce Magazine, 2006 “Kim Humphries Moves Forward.” Riverfront Times, January 2006 “’Over hung’ show or ‘Hung over’ critic?” Saintlouisart, November 17, 2005 http://saintlouisart.blogspot.com/ “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition.” Riverfront Times, November 9, 2005. “Bruno David Gallery.” St. Louis Post Dispatch, November 9, 2005 “Bruno David to Open on Friday.” 52nd City, October 2005, http://blog.52ndcity.com/archives “The Bruno buzz.” West End Word, October 26, 2005 “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition.” Saintlouisart, October 25, 2005. http://saintlouisart.blogspot.com/ “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition.” Illusion Junkie, October 25, 2005. Web Video. http://illusionjunkie.blogspot.com/2005/10/bruno-david-inaugural-exhibition.html

Bonetti, David. “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition.” St. Louis Post Dispatch, October 20, 2005 Sieloff, Alison. “Grand Grand Center.” Riverfront Times, October 19, 2005 Bonetti, David. “Gallery musical chairs.” St. Louis Post Dispatch, October 1, 2005 Casto, Jan. “Great Rivers Biennial.” Sculpture Magazine, January 2005 “Hot Picks”, Vital VOICE, October 8-22, 2004, p. 15. St. Louis, MO. Bonetti, David. “Artist Celebrate Elliot Smith With Works Incorporating 20.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 3, 2004. p. F6. St. Louis, MO. Cooper, Ivy. “1984-2004 Twentieth Anniversary Celebration At Elliot Smith.” Riverfront Times, September 29-October 5, 2004, p. 178. St. Louis, MO. Martelli, Rose. “Smith Elliot: The Gallery Looks In The Mirror For Its 20th.” Riverfront Times, September 15-21, 2004, p. 32. St. Louis, MO. Bonetti, David. “Legends of the Fall - Critic’ Picks.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 2, 2004. p. 2 (Get Out). St. Louis, MO. Cooper, Ivy. “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Art...” Riverfront Times, July 28-August 3, 2004, p. 42. St. Louis, MO. http://fivehundredwords.com/essays/collection1.htm Bonetti, David. “Everything Show.” July 18, 2004. p. F8. St. Louis, MO. Cooper, Ivy. “Size Matters.” Riverfront Times, June 9-15, 2004, p. 39. St. Louis, MO. McNabb, Tim. “Collection.” Five Hundred Words, September 2004 Cooper, Ivy. “Great Rivers Biennial Artists Exhibition.” Riverfront Times, July 28, 2004 Zapf, Rudy. “Great Rivers Biennial.” Playback StL, July, 2004 Fitzgerald, Shannon. “Kim Humphries: Collection.” Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis curator’s essay - gallery guide, July 2004 Mike Sampson “Cityscape.” KWMU 90.7, radio interview, July 2004 http://www.kwmu.org/Programs/Cityscape/archivedetail.php?date=’2004-07-16’ Moody, Karin. “The Gateway Arts.” St. Louis Commerce Magazine, September 2004 http://www.stlcommercemagazine.com/archives/september2004/arts_6.html Cooper, Ivy. “Surviving in St. Louis.” Art Papers, May 2004 Bonetti, David. “Visual Arts.” St. Louis Post Dispatch, May 27, 2004 Ramos, Steve. “Like the Cicadas – Kim Humphries Returns.” City Beat (Cincinnati), June 21, 2004, http://www.citybeat.com/2004-06-02/artsbeat.shtml Kelly, Kevin. “Online Lingo.” City Beat, January 4, 2001, http://www.citybeat.com/2001-01-04/art.shtml Knight, Andy. “Can’t Miss Exhibits.” Cincinnati Enquirer, December 28, 2000 Ramos, Steve. “How Do We Keep Kim Humphries in Cincinnati?” City Beat, April 27, 2000, http://www.citybeat.com/2000-04-27/artsbeat.shtml Yannopoulos, Charles.“Domestic Bliss?” Scene (Cleveland), January, 1999 Ramos, Steve. “Hams-A-Palooza!” City Beat, 1999 Brown, David. Catalogue Essay, 1997

SELECTED PERFORMANCES 2004 2003 1999 1998 1997

Contemporary Dance Theatre, Cicadas the Musical, Cincinnati, Ohio Contemporary Arts Center, Fifty Stars, Zhang Huan, Cincinnati, Ohio JayBar Studios, Gillombardo’s Hams, Cincinnati, Ohio Cleveland Performance Art Festival, Culture Wars, Cleveland, Ohio Public Display of Affection, Cincinnati, Ohio Aranoff Center for the Arts, Weston Art Galleries, InterMedia, Culture Wars, Cincinnati, Ohio Cultural Machine Complex, Culture Wars: Trial by Fire, Cincinnati, Ohio University of Dayton, Culture Wars, Dayton, Ohio DiLeia Contemporary, Talent Show, Cincinnati, Ohio

GRANTS 2004 1999 1997 1996

Great Rivers Biennial Visual Arts Award Cincinnati Arts Allocation, Individual Artist Grant Cincinnati Arts Allocation, Individual Artist Grant Cincinnati Arts Allocation, Individual Artist Grant Ohio State Arts Council, Individual Artist Grant

OTHER Current 2005 2003 1999 1998/99 1998 1997 1996 1996/Present

Critical Mass for the Visual Arts, Treasurer & Chair of Fundraising Committee, Saint Louis, Missouri – An independent not-for-profit organization promoting regional arts awareness Co-Curator, SUPERSTAR: The Karen Carpenter Story and Other Short Videos About Food – Identity – Fame and Family, Fort Gondo, St. Louis, MO Critical Mass, Co-Curator, On And On ‘Til The Break Of Dawn, Saint Louis, Missouri Untitled / Fort Gondo, Curator, George Kuchar: The Inmate and other Recent Video, Saint Louis, Missouri. Carnegie Center for the Arts, Curator, INSTALLATION, Covington, Kentucky Artists Reaching Classrooms, Cincinnati, Ohio - Served as guest speaker/Visiting Artist in a variety of area high schools for this collaborative program, organized by the Art Academy of Cincinnati and the Taft Museum of Art. Consultant, Kendall College of Art and Design, Lansing, Michigan - Contributed syllabi and text for the development of a Museum Studies program Video, Bobo – A Baby Gorilla Advisory Panel Member, Art on the Square, Cincinnati, Ohio. Served on panel for development and management of regional arts festival Visiting artist, guest lecturer

ARTISTS Margaret Adams Ingo Baumgarten Dickson Beall Laura Beard Elaine Blatt Nanette Boileau Martin Brief Lisa K. Blatt Shawn Burkard Bunny Burson Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Jill Downen Yvette Drury Dubinsky Eleanor Dubinsky Maya Escobar Corey Escoto

Beverly Fishman Damon Freed William Griffin Joan Hall Takashi Horisaki Kim Humphries Kelley Johnson Howard Jones (Estate) Chris Kahler Bill Kohn (Estate) Katharine Kuharic Leslie Laskey Sandra Marchewa Peter Marcus Kathryn Neale Moses Nornberg

Patricia Olynyk Robert Pettus Daniel Raedeke Chris Rubin de la Borbolla Cherie Sampson Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Buzz Spector Lindsey Stouffer The Fancy Christ Cindy Tower Ian Weaver Brett Williams Ken Worley

brunodavidgallery.com