Art Installations
It is happening again
New work by Joey Veltkamp
We’re pleased to announce the first of a series of installations that will begin this July. Come join us for the inaugural reception on July 14, enjoy a fine drink, and meander through Joey Veltkamp’s papier-mâché parliament of owls!
SHOW DATES: July 14 – August 31, 2010
OPENING RECEPTION: Wednesday, July 14th, 2010, 6-9pm
PRESS: Daily Candy
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Owls have many different meanings throughout cultures. They are seen as portents of death, carriers of souls between worlds, evidence of sorcery, observers, and alien surveillance drones. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have a special connection to owls and they frequently shows up in our art (Jay Steensma, Joseph Goldberg, Morris Graves, and more recently Jeffry Mitchell and Matthew Offenbacher).
In the town of Twin Peaks, few things can be taken at face value. Time can move backwards and forwards, spirits travel between worlds, and “the owls are not what they seem.” Influenced by Whitley Strieber’s firsthand account of contact with aliens, David Lynch echoes the use of owls as a screen image for sexual trauma (Laura Palmer) and abduction (Colonel Briggs). Owls serve the additional role as ocular devices for lodge spirits and aliens.
For It is happening again, Joey Veltkamp uses paper mache to create a wall of 30 owls in various styles and colors. Some are recognizable (barn owl, spotted owl, great horned owl), some are abstract (silver, white, pink) and some are alien. Owls are solitary creatures so it’s a bit unnerving to see them en masse, all staring down at you. Opposite this wall of owls is a deer trophy roughly 3 times its normal size, also made of paper mache. This sculpture directly references Twin Peaks and speaks indirectly to the hipster taxidermy motifs on Capitol Hill, the passé trend onf deer art (now supplanted by the latest “it” animal – owls) and the artist’s own sentimental attachment to anything related to deer.
Pour yourself a coffee, dust off your Julee Cruise album and “Let’s rock.”
brown owl (in branches) 2010 by Joey Veltkamp
barn owl (in tree) 2010 by Joey Veltkamp
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Joey Veltkamp (born Helena, Montana) is an artist living and working in Seattle, Washington. His art is focused on personal relationships and community. He runs an art blog that focuses primarily on local art with the occasional artist interviews. He curates the art for a dinner series called The New Guard that celebrates one chef, one artist and one musician. In participation with City Arts, he hosts a monthly art walk after party where one artist receives a $500 unrestricted grant. He was a 2010 Neddy nominee in painting, was Seattle University’s inaugural visual artist-in-residence and is a member of SOIL artist run gallery.
joeyveltkamp@gmail.com