Offering a heavy hand of irreverent wit striped with compassion, Kate Clark's sculptures ask viewers to disregard pretense and to apprehend the idea of emotional uncertainty. Although the artist embarks on a journey towards shocking and repelling viewers as they recognize and reject the thing’s presence, it is because she works with previously living creatures that Kate is also able to infuse an odd warmth and familiarity into the piece. We connect to Clark’s work on a primitive level: humans are derived from animalistic ferocity, yet like her sculptures we exist behind a mask of docile subordination- we are the sophisticated monster, we are the civilized wild. These striking beasts seemingly take their first breath when our own subjective narrative begins to reveal itself, the animal’s human eyes pleading with the viewer to resolve its potential role in existence. It is within this dichotomy that viewers experience feelings of empathy and anxiety, not knowing if the tamed chaos begins or ends with themselves.
Tracy Candido
Independent Curator
