No Absolutes
Contemporary Art from the Region
October 8, 2000 - January 7, 2001
Catalogue Essay - Kim Cridler
Kim Cridler
Kim Cridler was raised on a farm in Michigan and much of the inspiration
for her work comes from her early experiences. She spent many hours mending
and polishing heirlooms that told the story of her family and also reveal
a broader social and cultural history. Whether a piece of silver service
or an urn-shaped planter, the originally functional objects were kept
as ceremonial and emotional possessions – a duality that fascinates Cridler.
Cridler's childhood instilled an appreciation for materials and their meaning. On a farm, everything is used, reused and used again. All materials are valued and saved. Cridler makes monumental vessels inspired by Neo-classical vases with symmetrical handles and floral swags out of unassuming steel rods. Cridler expands and opens these elegant forms by constructing the vessels rod by rod in a grid-like structure, interrupting this delineated form with materials that speak volumes. In this case she uses eggs, not clean and homogenous from the grocery store, but free-range specimens that are striking in their range of color and shape. Cridler unabashedly strips the forms of utility, removing them from their original scale and material, and allowing us to see their cultural symbolism more clearly.
In the work Kept, Cridler explores the environment for her vessels. In museums, domestic objects are often presented in clean, white rooms; in our homes they are placed in interiors constructed by individual preference, fashion and economics. Cridler has constructed a "carpet" for her vessel and here her art historical inspiration moves to 17th century Dutch still lifes — memento moris. Valuable, decorative objects contrast with wilting fruit, flowers and game in these paintings to show that life is fleeting and we can't take it with us. Cridler's carpet of a deer head, hanging rabbit carcass and floral decoration contrasts with the eggs, representing new life and death simultaneously.
Cridler deliberately chooses a labor-intensive and repetitive process. Starting with sketches and researching the history of art, she pieced the carpet from steel rods and covered it with hand-sewn satin ribbon. Cridler is both drawn to and suspicious of forms associated with luxury and completely removed from utility. Yet the powerful, concentrated, intensive processes of making are undeniable in their integrity.
Heather Sealy Lineberry
Senior Curator
Arizona State University Art Museum
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For more information contact John Spiak at spiak@asu.edu.
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