Ex Machina I (an M.H.K.D. retrospective)
The Sculpture of Christian Karkow
March 19 - May 25, 2007
New Media Space, John Hope Franklin Center
Opening Reception
Monday, March 19th, 2007
5:30 - 7:30 PM :: Franklin Center New Media Space
Like the assemblages and machines themselves, the title of this show, M.H.K.D., comes from reclaimed material, namely, antique brass tags found in a junkyard. The intention for each experiment varies--from function to form, measurement to interpretation, and tool to folly. Each object is unique, but all are developed from common sources of inspiration. The numbering system, in lieu of words, lessens the mediation between the object's character and the observer's (or user's) interpretation. The artist has over 2400 numbers to assign to future projects.
Before becoming a sculptor, Karkow studied civil engineering and geology, practicing geology as an early career. Not long after, he returned to the university and earned his Masters in Architecture. But Karkow was drawn to work on a scale smaller than that of buildings, so he began his next career as a designer and builder of architectural elements and sculpture. In dissecting found objects, learning their inner workings, and rebuilding them with an eye for their unseen wonder, Karkow hopes to create a modern collection of specimens suitable for an historical Wunderkammer.
Karkow currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. He works with a team of artists and architects at Clearscapes, an art and architecture firm.
For more information on this and other exhibits at the Franklin Center, contact Pamela Gutlon, p.gutlon@duke.edu.