I'm Not from Here (2018): A series of collaborative paintings by Chris King and John Sebelius
In 2018, King and Sebelius continue their collaborative process of shipping work back and forth to each other between their studios in Louisiana and Kansas; Each taking turns editing and building layers of information in each piece. "I’m Not From Here", includes a series of 20"x 24" pieces consisting of painted and drawn layers of text and imagery collected from various social media dating sites in and around the University of Arkansas, where the show opened in January 2018. King explains, "We are interested in how a community of people represent themselves through words, imagery, and technology and what we can learn about a culture and ourselves virtually through social media. Having moved around the country several times, I know the difficulty of trying to make new friends as I've changed communities. Looking at this language through the lens of painting provides a broader interpretation of these images. Sebelius adds, "Our focus has been mostly on people who are trying to make new friends, find love, a sexual encounter, or all of the above. We see a parallel in this ‘Personal Ad’ language to how we communicate on various levels in our collaborative process, and how we're also seeking a connection to an audience, hoping they might have a meaningful relationship with our work.”
In 2018, King and Sebelius continue their collaborative process of shipping work back and forth to each other between their studios in Louisiana and Kansas; Each taking turns editing and building layers of information in each piece. "I’m Not From Here", includes a series of 20"x 24" pieces consisting of painted and drawn layers of text and imagery collected from various social media dating sites in and around the University of Arkansas, where the show opened in January 2018. King explains, "We are interested in how a community of people represent themselves through words, imagery, and technology and what we can learn about a culture and ourselves virtually through social media. Having moved around the country several times, I know the difficulty of trying to make new friends as I've changed communities. Looking at this language through the lens of painting provides a broader interpretation of these images. Sebelius adds, "Our focus has been mostly on people who are trying to make new friends, find love, a sexual encounter, or all of the above. We see a parallel in this ‘Personal Ad’ language to how we communicate on various levels in our collaborative process, and how we're also seeking a connection to an audience, hoping they might have a meaningful relationship with our work.”
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Down Goes the Demon (2017) This woodcut print was created while attending a residency at Evil Prints in St. Louis, MO. In this piece King retains his interest in the anxiety he shares with many Americans during the first year of the Trump Administration. As Trump threatens to "totally destroy" North Korea, calling Kim Jong Un a "Rocket Man", North Korea prepares to test launch another nuclear weapon, and intensity grows world wide. King understands that while some may find humor in his representation of Trump unconscious on the floor, others may see this piece as a sympathetic or disturbing portrait of our president; one that references King's previous series of paintings, Fallen Giants, containing images of passed out party kids. Only this time it's the leader of the free world who is intoxicated, clueless, and on the verge of self-destruction. |
Down Goes the Demon, 2017, woodcut print on paper (26" x 40")
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Up All Night (2017)
As we enter the first year of a new presidency and political tension continues to grow, the themes in my work are evolving. I realize that for a lot of Americans, watching the recent election was like watching a spectator sport, similar to the Super Bowl or a national championship; particularly how the duality of our society is a constant battle between two rival teams of winners and losers. These types of contests are exciting, often fueling an excessive, sometimes dangerous amount of pride among gangs of screaming fans with an extreme desire to be on the “winning” team at any cost. That being said, our collective inflated American ego also does not help us deal very well with disappointment, regardless if it’s at a basketball game or an election and no matter who we’re rooting for, we hate to lose. It’s these feelings of loss, anxiety, and anger that I see in myself and in American culture that has become the focus of my most recent work. - Chris King
As we enter the first year of a new presidency and political tension continues to grow, the themes in my work are evolving. I realize that for a lot of Americans, watching the recent election was like watching a spectator sport, similar to the Super Bowl or a national championship; particularly how the duality of our society is a constant battle between two rival teams of winners and losers. These types of contests are exciting, often fueling an excessive, sometimes dangerous amount of pride among gangs of screaming fans with an extreme desire to be on the “winning” team at any cost. That being said, our collective inflated American ego also does not help us deal very well with disappointment, regardless if it’s at a basketball game or an election and no matter who we’re rooting for, we hate to lose. It’s these feelings of loss, anxiety, and anger that I see in myself and in American culture that has become the focus of my most recent work. - Chris King
Superfans (2017): A series of collaborative paintings by Chris King and John Sebelius
Chris King and John Sebelius have been fans of each other’s work since meeting at a residency at the Vermont Studio Center in 2011. At that time they weren't collaborating, but worked closely in the studio. They soon found that while they come from very different backgrounds, they share a lot of the same interests in pop culture, art, music, movies, and sports. While teaching a workshop together in 2015 they realized that their view of sports and sports fans was a sort of metaphor for the tense political climate in America. King says, "That became a point of interest for us and it was then that we decided to collaborate on a series of large paper pieces to further develop this idea." In the months that followed, they each started a series of paintings, which they began shipping back and forth from Kansas to Louisiana for each other to work on. Superfans opened at Cider Gallery in Lawrence, Kansas in April 2017.
Chris King and John Sebelius have been fans of each other’s work since meeting at a residency at the Vermont Studio Center in 2011. At that time they weren't collaborating, but worked closely in the studio. They soon found that while they come from very different backgrounds, they share a lot of the same interests in pop culture, art, music, movies, and sports. While teaching a workshop together in 2015 they realized that their view of sports and sports fans was a sort of metaphor for the tense political climate in America. King says, "That became a point of interest for us and it was then that we decided to collaborate on a series of large paper pieces to further develop this idea." In the months that followed, they each started a series of paintings, which they began shipping back and forth from Kansas to Louisiana for each other to work on. Superfans opened at Cider Gallery in Lawrence, Kansas in April 2017.
Fallen Giants (2016)
"My buddy King and I used to hang out together almost every night after school. We’d race our cars on the boulevard, then pick up a case of Budweiser, drink in the sand pit behind the bowling alley, and talk about our hopes and dreams for the future. King ended up moving a thousand miles away and carved out a nice career for himself as an artist. Art, music, video—he seems to be able to move from one arena to the next, all with his own unique voice, humor, and vision. I’m proud of my buddy King, but it's lonely here in the pit without him." - Anonymous Friend
"My buddy King and I used to hang out together almost every night after school. We’d race our cars on the boulevard, then pick up a case of Budweiser, drink in the sand pit behind the bowling alley, and talk about our hopes and dreams for the future. King ended up moving a thousand miles away and carved out a nice career for himself as an artist. Art, music, video—he seems to be able to move from one arena to the next, all with his own unique voice, humor, and vision. I’m proud of my buddy King, but it's lonely here in the pit without him." - Anonymous Friend
