Singularity

source: dwell

Christopher Kurtz (born 1975) grew up in the small, remote, middle- America town called Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Excelsior Springs, far from American art and design hubs like New York or Los Angeles, is also the same birthplace of noted sculptor/ furniture designer, Donald Judd, a coincidence that Christopher quite enjoys. Christopher studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and received a BFA in sculpture from Alfred University in Alfred, New York.

After college, he went on to work as the studio assistant to artist Martin Puryear, who is the subject of a recent retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. While working with Puryear, Christopher refined his wood working skills and began maturing as an artist in his own right. Kurtz has gained national attention with his sculpture and is in several public and private collections. He has received numerous grants and awards, including the prestigious Louis Comfort Tiffany Award in 2005. Kurtz is represented by Matin gallery in Beverly Hills, California. www.matin-gallery.com

In 2005 Christopher married the American glassware designer, Deborah Ehrlich, and set up his studio in the Hudson Valley of New York State. Kurtz has always had a passion for furniture and began experimenting with some designs. The result is a new collection of seating just out in 2008.

Christopher Kurtz Studio offers a unique product. The furniture is all hand made, while utilizing some small scale production techniques. Kurtz has said of his work, “I am interested in moments where the handmade is replaced by production– and when the pendulum swings back to the handmade due to needs that production can not meet.” Some of the chair parts are made with very sophisticated tools like the computer numeric router, while other parts, like the chair seats are carved with hand planes and spoke shaves. “I believe in using whatever tools are necessary to achieve the best result- and old world hand tools are a big part of that for me.” In his furniture, one can find subtle references to historical moments in art and design, ranging from Ancient Egypt to the Shakers to the Danish Masters- all while maintaining a modern thread that is specific to Kurtz.
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source: detnk

In this new exhibition, “singularity”, i have created a number of sculptures made up of constructed and carved pieces of wood. The forms appear to elongate and stretch out into dynamic compositions. The effect is that of structures appearing
to be elastic, and held in a delicate balance. The forms often evoke rays of light, as well as more tangible structures. The pieces may be understood on an intimate scale, referring to forms such as spider webs, cracked ice, or thorns from a locust tree. Equally, the sculptures suggest expanses of space that are greater than our human experience: interstellar events, the collapse and explosions of stars, and light traveling infinitely through space.

In either case, the physical proportion of each sculptural form relates back to
the scale of the human body. Whether the pieces are suspended from the ceiling,
free standing on the floor, perched atop a pedestal, or mounted on the wall,
they all consider balance and gesture that is familiar to this world. Nature is an inevitable inspiration for any creative process, and sources of nature can be found in all of this work. I am much more preoccupied with the built environment; how humans manipulate and refine materials, and how we interact with the world. The methods of how structures are designed and built – and then the way they inevitably surrender to gravity over time, are an endless source of inspiration. I also look at dance, ballet in particular, in a similar way. To leap and to land on point, to stretch and elongate an arm or a leg, to hold the position, and yield to gravity with grace, is the essence of my interest in sculpture. The act of making sculpture is a protest against gravity. To erect something and make it stand up is an act of hubris – but it is essential to humans affirming their existence.

My medium is wood, and my approach to sculpture is one of restraint and discipline. I have chosen to limit my medium to this material, and limit my studio to a relatively simple set of tools. I mostly work alone and my richest hours of creativity are very early in the morning, usually before dawn. The sculpture pieces are typically a combination of construction and carving. The structures are carpentered and joined, often with an armature holding the composition in place. There are many hours of work where the forms are being built, and taken apart to carve, and re-assembled. In this process of building, carving, and un- building, unexpected pieces will emerge. Each piece starts with a sketch or a
wire model, but in order for each work to be successful, something surprising
and unexpected must be discovered along the way, giving way to an unscripted object. Within these guidelines, i have found a deep and concentrated way of exploring sculpture. The grounding sense of place that the studio provides is also paramount to my process. Within this controlled environment, i feel the freedom to take risks.