Please join in our excitement for the opening reception for KEITH NELSON: MISCELLANEOUS JAWNS on Friday, April 26th from 5-8PM. This will be the second solo exhibition at The Alice Wilds by artist, gallery owner, and studio developer Keith Nelson. This exhibition will be on view through Saturday, June 8th, 2024 and be sure to mark your calendars for an artist talk with Keith Nelson on Saturday, June 1st at 1PM.
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Through the use of non-traditional materials and a distinctly sculptural process, Keith Nelson expands the language and boundaries of painting by implying that it is not a literal term, but rather a specific mode of creative thought not limited to the brush.
Nelson produces painting-like collages that are rigorously considered aesthetic expressions. In a subtle critique of consumption and commoditization, the material for the work is reclaimed waste acquired as he goes about his daily routine of preparatory work and studio management. Materials are used literally, some exactly as found, as a way to remove his hand and elevate their banality. Many individual objects are collected and produced before being methodically combined into larger groupings.
The use of common and familiar objects allows the work to transcend its formal underpinning. Nelson’s decision-making process is driven by a belief in democratic equality (the whole being greater than the sum of its parts), as well as the idea that value and beauty are highly subjective and dependent on context as well as one’s own perception.
Milwaukee-based artist Keith Nelson holds a BFA in Painting from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, and in 2018 he was the recipient of a Mary L. Nohl Fellowship Established Artist award. He has completed residencies at Hotelpupik in Schrattenberg, Austria, and has shown work with Ziehersmith in Nashville, TN, and also at The Portrait Society Gallery and The Green Gallery in Milwaukee, WI. In addition, Nelson currently manages two artist studio spaces (7th Floor Studios and The Fifth Floor) and is co-owner of Real Tinsel, an alternative gallery space and artist studios located on Milwaukee’s Historic Mitchell Street, and also manages Usable Space in Milwaukee, WI.
EVENTS:
Opening Reception: Friday, April 26th, 2024: 5-8PM
Artist Talk: Saturday, June 1st at 1PM
Untitled (collage jawn #3), 2022
Mixed media
30-1/8 x 39-1/4 x 2 inches
Untitled (tower jawn #2), 2024
Mixed media
92 x 20 x 28 inches
Installation view
Untitled (collage jawn, #2), 2023
Mixed media
43-1/4 x 42 x 3-5/8 inches
MISCELLANEOUS JAWNS
Installation view
Untitled (collage jawn, #1), 2021
Mixed media
33-1/4 x 44 x 1-3/4 inches
Untitled (toilet jawns #1, #2, #3), 2020-2023
Porcelain
Dimensions variable