Digital catalogue published on the occasion of
When the World’s On Fire
Aug. 24 - Oct. 21, 2023
Kevin McNamee-Tweed, Planet in a Pushcart, 2023, Glazed ceramic, 6 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches, courtesy and copyright the artist.
When the World's On Fire
Kevin McNamee-Tweed (American, b. 1984)
On view Aug 24-October 21, 2023
Reception & Opening (follows Jake Xerxes Fussell's performance at 6pm in Hayes Concert Hall)
Aug 24, 7-9pm
Closing artist talk
Thurs, Oct 19 (details TBD)
The ICA presents a solo presentation of new work by Durham, NC based artist Kevin McNamee-Tweed featuring over forty new 'ceramic paintings', as well as new vessels and drawings comprising monotypes, pencil, paint and mixed media works on paper, canvas, muslin and cardboard.
The accumulation of mythologies and historical narratives, including Southern traditions such as craft, storytelling, and music, are of keen interest to McNamee-Tweed and his practice. His ruminations oscillate between the personal, the mundane, the absurd, and the grandiose. The title of the show, When the World's on Fire, takes its name from the traditional Southern song reckoning with the notion of End Times. And, linking with the artist’s focus on regional ceramic traditions, the title makes reference as well to the creative and destructive power of a kiln. With both pathos and humor, his intimately-scaled works offer glimpses of subjects from the human to the animal to the inanimate.
McNamee-Tweed’s practice investigates the mechanics of meaning-making and storytelling, and embraces broad material exploration to create images and objects that narrate, measure, or express nuances of human experience and material reality. While much of his work may be naturally situated within the context of image-making, painting, and drawing, McNamee-Tweed works extensively with clay. Incorporating native clays and regional traditions, the artist relies on time-honored as well as idiosyncratic uses of clay and glaze materials. He makes intimate, utilitarian objects and many things which situate themselves between categories, such as function-resistant objects, ceramic books, and wall-hanging pictorial ceramics, which have become his primary focus in recent years. His pictorial ceramics or ‘ceramic paintings’, employ meticulous techniques, controlled processes, and tempered experimentation to achieve image-based corporeality featuring exaggerated surfaces, textures and visual effects. Relating intimately to the hand and the eye, these book-sized objects carry a strong element of storytelling.
All works were made in 2023 for the exhibition with ICA Chattanooga.
A digital artist catalogue will be released in September with essay by poet Bradley King.
About the artist:
Kevin McNamee-Tweed (b. 1984) is based in Durham, North Carolina. He holds a BFA from New York University and an MA and MFA from The University of Iowa. Recent solo exhibitions include Dutton Gallery (New York), Cob Gallery (London), Steve Turner (Los Angeles), L21 Gallery (Mallorca), Harper’s (New York), Rod Barton (London), Devening Projects (Chicago), The Still House Group (New York), and The Menil Collection Books (Houston). He has participated in group shows in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Australia, Iceland, Greece, and the UK. He is the recipient of numerous awards and residencies including the Mildred Pelzer Grant, the Willhelm and Jane Bodine Fellowship, The Iowa Arts Fellowship, and the Montello Foundation Fellowship. Reviews of his work have appeared in Artforum, Art in America, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Artnet, Glasstire, and Hyperallgeric, among others. A monograph on his ceramic work was published by Steve Turner (Los Angeles) in 2020. Upcoming projects include solo exhibitions at The Greenville County Museum of Art in South Carolina and JVDW in Dusseldorf, Germany.