Intercept: Kirk Mayhew @ 1305

Opening Final Friday, August 30th, with an artist reception that evening from 6-11 pm is:

Intercept

New Work by Kirk Mayhew

August 30th- September 22nd

Gallery Hours Thurs- Sun: 12-4 & by appointment

2013 has been a year of great exhibitions at 1305 Gallery, and we start the fall season off with yet another. Kirk Mayhew had one of the first shows 1305 hosted back in 2005, so revisiting his work has been a long time coming. In between then and now Mr. Mayhew has continued to be a prolific and often unpredictable ceramic artist, pushing the boundaries of his medium as well as working outside of it completely in solo and collaborative projects. He is and has been a beloved teacher to many, and is the type of artist that will never say no to a creative challenge. So once again he tackles putting together an exhibition of 3-D work in the small and streamlined 1305 Gallery space.

Intercept is a group of new work that explores very timely questions of identity and conformity within the context of self-publication. We all live with a duality in our contemporary social environment where the lines between who we really are and who others perceive us to be are constantly being blurred. While throughout the history of civilization success has often come to those who can paint the best picture of themselves, rather than necessarily to those most deserving, painting that picture has come to trump all other lines of advance. The often beguiled yet beloved avenue of social media has become increasingly difficult to separate from that of the media as we used to know it- television, newspapers, radio, etc. Our lives are immediately published. We are derided for our mistakes the minute we make them. Success comes to those who navigate this streaming world with the most deft and cunning, and their rewards are swiftly delivered.

Just as we are inclined to render language and reality down to the fewest words and characters, Mayhew uses clay and mixed media to create intensely hewn scenes containing the basic elements of our daily lives. The earthiness and immediacy of the clay allows for the artist to remind us that somewhere underneath it all we are human beings, messy masses of things that are more than our social constructs. Mayhew juxtaposes clean-edged, processed, manmade materials in many of the pieces with the clay to bring us to this intercept. Often the work just represents pieces of life, pieces of man, bricks that are pieces of buildings, a glimpse at what we really are and the struggles we face. 

In the end are we struggling harder to live and live well, or to save face and reputation in a world we see more often than not through a digital screen?

Come see for yourself and talk to the artist, while enjoying great food and company on Main Street this Final Friday.