- Visual Art
The Wind is Gone
Rob Keller
27 June 2025 19:00 – 29 June 2025 19:00
These wall-mounted sculptures reimagine traditional American folk art weather vanes through vibrant abstraction. Crafted from plastic ironing beads, familiar animals appear in unexpected colors and patterns, challenging our perception of these cultural icons.
Despite their pixelated medium, the works resist digital precision through deliberate imperfections: warping, thick varnish layers, and paint drips evoke the patina of weathered artifacts—blurring boundaries between new creation and aged object.
The juxtaposition of contemporary medium and traditional form creates a dialogue about authenticity. By elevating a children's craft material into sophisticated wall art, the work questions distinctions between "high art" and "craft," inviting reconsideration of these classifications.
Occupying the space between nostalgia and reinvention, these pieces prompt us to examine how perception shapes our understanding of cultural symbols and what happens when the familiar becomes strange.
Despite their pixelated medium, the works resist digital precision through deliberate imperfections: warping, thick varnish layers, and paint drips evoke the patina of weathered artifacts—blurring boundaries between new creation and aged object.
The juxtaposition of contemporary medium and traditional form creates a dialogue about authenticity. By elevating a children's craft material into sophisticated wall art, the work questions distinctions between "high art" and "craft," inviting reconsideration of these classifications.
Occupying the space between nostalgia and reinvention, these pieces prompt us to examine how perception shapes our understanding of cultural symbols and what happens when the familiar becomes strange.
Biography
Rob Keller
Rob Keller (b. 1981) is a Berlin-based artist originally from rural Illinois. He earned dual Bachelor’s degrees in Ceramics and Graphic Design and a Master’s degree in Typeface Design before founding the type design studio Mota Italic. After dedicating over a decade to type design, the pandemic reignited his passion for sculpture, prompting a return to his artistic roots. Rob’s work is primarily architectural, featuring unconventional structures adorned with ostentatious weather vanes that reflect themes of nostalgia, identity, and place. Using reclaimed materials, he crafts imperfect, handmade objects that celebrate simplicity and contrast with his precision-driven design background.
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