·06/26/2015·1 min read

KRIS KUKSI

I saw Kris Kuksi‘s art for the first time in Hi-Fructose Magazine years back and all I remember thinking was simply “Holy Shit!” What I saw were images of his sculptures and it completely blew me way. The large central element catches your eye first, and you immediately realize there is a whole lot more going on. The amount of detail in every single one of his sculptures is absolutely insane.

His sculptures are made from various collected items which are then repurposed and assembled with precision. Each piece utilizes thousands of different components manipulated and placed with purpose. The result is a chaotic yet organized, violent yet beautiful masterpiece we see before our eyes. As you can imagine, these sculptures roughly 2-3 feet in width take hours and days to complete.

Although the theme of divinity, mortality and religion are evident in all of his baroque style sculpture work, it is incredibly impressive how each piece retains its own unique identity. On his website he showcases over 100 sculptures and truthfully I had a hard time choosing which pieces I wanted to feature because every single one offers something different. It is a true testament to his endless imagination and creativity.

Kris’ talents don’t end with sculptures, he is also an amazing drawer and painter. I love the versatility he shows especially in his paintings which completely stray away from the feel of the sculptures. He is primarily known for his sculptures, but it is unfair to overlook his drawing and painting abilities. Kris is someone who would be a world class artist even if he didn’t sculpt a single piece. He is just that good.

Kris will be doing a solo exhibition at the Joshua Liner Gallery in October of this year which is fantastic news for all of us New Yorkers. Make sure you check that out and see up close the amount of detail in his sculptures. If you don’t live in the NYC area, do yourself a favor and go to his website to look at more of his work. Don’t forget to zoom in!