Krista Clark at Spencer Brownstone Gallery / New York

Krista Clark
Untenanted
September 13 - November 17, 2019

Spencer Brownstone Gallery
170-A Suffolk Street
New York, NY 10002


Krista Clark, Untenanted, Installation View
                                      

Krista Clark_Layaway, 2019
Wood, bungee cord, plastic sheets, concrete, corded work light, and hardware
8 x 11 x 4 ft


Krista Clark_Layaway, 2019
Wood, bungee cord, plastic sheets, concrete, corded work light, and hardware
8 x 11 x 4 ft

Krista Clark_Plotted Retreat, 2019
Threaded metal rods, hooks, scaffold netting, extension cord, rope, concrete, and hardware 13 x 35 ft (Dimensions variable)

Krista Clark_Repose, 2019
Wood, insulation, drywall, concrete, and hardware
4 x 3 x 5 ft

Krista Clark, Untenanted, Installation View

Krista Clark_Constructing a Monochrome, 2019 Wood, concrete, scaffold netting, and hardware
7 x 12 x 6 ft

Krista Clark, Untenanted, Installation View



Spencer Brownstone Gallery is pleased to present Untenanted, a solo exhibition featuring sculptures and a wall installation by Atlanta based artist, Krista Clark.

Untenanted features five large scale sculptures and a wall collage comprised of two-by-fours, sheetrock, cement, and mesh cover - materials that can be found on any construction site. The forms represent a synthesis of architectural elements, transitioning environments, and Clark’s observations in urban neighborhoods.

In the past century, the historic neighborhood of West End, Atlanta has earned a reputation for its display of American architectural styles including Craftman, Folk Victorian, Colonial Revival, and Neoclassical Revival. More recently, however, the area has become known for its shifting communities and declining industry that have, in turn, endangered the famed architectural vistas. Much like the ubiquitous materials that Clark employs, architectural and demographic shifts in historic areas all over the country are now pervasive.


For Clark, the changes and dualities found in these areas are a lens through which she sees and creates. The materials she uses are common and highly recognizable yet the constructs are only vaguely functional, or perhaps unfinished. Floors are above ground, heavy surfaces sit precariously on spindly legs, metal rods connect to air, and indestructible curtains conceal nothing. The minimalist forms draw complex structures. The familiarity of the materials is negated by the absurdity of their combination. And the invitation of shelter is rescinded by the promise of exposure.


Photography: Mohamed Jahangir


Artist Bio

Krista Clark was born in Burlington, Vermont and currently lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. She completed a residency at Hambidge Center for the Arts in Rabun Gap, Georgia and her work is in the permanent collection of the High Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Atlanta. Clark’s work has been featured at the Studio Museum in Harlem, RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver, The United States Embassy in Bratislava, Slovakia, The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center and the High Museum in Atlanta. She is a recipient of the Artadia Award and the Working Artist Project Award with MOCA GA. Clark received her BFA from Atlanta College of Art, MA from New York University and MFA from Georgia State University. Krista Clark is an Assistant Professor at Morehouse College.