KC-K, Heckscher Museum Talk, Huntington, Long Island, N.Y., 2008
INTERNATIONALLY: Auckland & Christchurch, New Zealand; Linz, Austria; Budapest, Hungary; Rome, Italy;
NATIONALLY: Longboat Key Center for the Arts / Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota and Saint Petersburg, Florida
Washington, D.C.; San Francisco, Santa Barbara & San Diego, Ca.; Boston, Mass.; Pittsburgh, Pa.;
Boston, Mass.; Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island, New York
Half way through college I studied with British Painter and Sculptor, Robert Bradford at San Diego State University. He triggered the thought to "just see what is there... what is literally there in front of me. Mr. Bradford brought to light Hans Hoffmann's push-pull theory that existed within my art. I began to see the actual. It was precisely at this same time at S.D.S.U., that I had the great fortune of being mentored by world renowned Conceptualist Artist, Robert Morris. His short visit as Artist-In-Residence at S.D.S.U. in 1980, has made a lasting impression on how I approach art and society. Robert Morris spoke of conceptual ideas that were in themselves works of art. For example, Morris mentioned an arts-in-public-places project he had completed in Atlanta. He took a number of sticks of dynamite, placed them in the ground and set them off; creating a huge hole. Then he placed a sign next to it saying- "ONE ONE-MILLIONTH OF A MEGA-TON BLAST". I began to see the importance of the literal as counterpart to the metaphoric and began to see the actual. Actual thought and the actual world dominated my equation of "art and life". This led to my ironically discovering the "actual". I further understood the actual in how Morris brought thought to action within the actual world. It was then that I realized that this "equation" led me to question everything, down to the tools, which, led to the "Speed Element" palette I discovered and developed at 22 years of age. to the present time; more than 30 years later. Ironically, this led to my discovering the actual. I started at the beginning and began to question my materials, as well as my approach. I am pleased to say that I never had to abandon being a painter to be an Earthwork / Ecosystem artist.
My professional career as an artist began professionally in 1982 with two exhibitions, "Macro-Micro", in the largest city, Aucklandand; on the North Island; and on the South island in Christ Church. This included several newspaper articles and several half hour radio talk shows in Auckland, Christchurch and Rotorua, N.Z.. These exhibitions, , were based on the circular three inch mini painting that are today an integral part of my art. One is also immediately struck with the large gallery space and the small paintings that dotted its' walls. What was being stresses was the concept of scale. Art work does not need to be monumental scale to convey the enormity of space.
The decade that followed, the 1980's, was a time to develop my unconventional palette and begin to understand the essential balance I needed to strike between my "inner and outer self". Emerging from this personal journey and time spent with the emerging art scene of that decade, I returned to the academic world to receive a Master’s degree in Art from New York University with the Head of the N.Y.U., Steinhardt School Art Department, Sculptor, John Torreano as my mentor. John Torreano brought out the "why, why why?!" that led me to commit to this marriage between myself and the world; to become the environment / ecosystem painter that I am today. He, together with the brilliant Art Historian, Saul Ostrow at N.Y.U. brought me face to face with my art and my time. Torreano and Ostrow both stressed the importance of- "Content! Content! Content! Do everything with meaning and purpose." What struck me most was to consider the idea that art not only refer to itself but to see art as a "means to an ends." and choose to create a shift from "archeologist" dealing with object making, (paintings and sculptures), ans shift to the job of being a sociologist dealing with contemporary issues facing our social and/or personal experience.
KEN CRO-KEN CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION:
1997 MASTER’S DEGREE, M.A., NYU, New York University; Art
1994-1997 NYU Centennial Scholarship for scholastic achievement
1994 BACHELOR OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES, B.P.S., State University of New York (Interdisciplinary degree) ; Art, Business, English
2002 Summer Residency for Olympia College at the last rainforest in the United States, Oregon/Washington State border
SOLO, TWO & FOUR PERSON EXHIBITIONS:
2015 "The Mix", Four Person Show,OXHEART, NOoSPHERE, New York, NY Sept 9th to 29th
2012 “PAINT AND NATURE”, The Greenable Museum, Woodbridge Township, N.J., Feb. 11 - Oct. 13
2012 Ringling College of Arts & Design, Longboat Key Center for the Arts, Sarasota, Fla.; Jan. 5 – Feb. 24
2007 “C0LLISI0NS”, Gallery OneTwentyEight, N.Y., N.Y., June 9 - July 12 2007 Adrian Howard Gallery, St. Petersburg, Florida April 11 - May 7
2005 Adrian Howard Gallery, St. Petersburg, Florida Feb. 12 - June 14
2004 “EARTH TO KEN”, Gallery OneTwentyEight, N.Y., N.Y., May 3 - June 8
1982 "MACRO/MICRO", Canterbury Society of Art, Christ Church, New Zealand July 3 - August 7
1982 "MACRO/MICRO", Auckland Society of Art, Auckland, New Zealand, May 2 - June 7
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2018, '17, '16, '15, '14, '13, '12, '11, '10, '09, '08, '07, '06, '05, '04, Gallery OneTwentyEight, New York, N.Y.,
2016 Whitebox Performance Space, New York, NY Winter Show
2016 Whitebox NYC
2015 ART BASIL with Whitebox NYC, "Anvil" video installation New York, NY Dec. 7th
2015 Oxheart Gallery, August 6th to Augfust 29th New York, NY
2015 Mikhail Zakin Gallery, Demarest, N.J., January 10th to February 25th
2014 National Museum of Asian Art, Rome, Italy (Video Installation with Kazuko Miyamoto) June 17 – Sept 15
2013 Hayden Planetarium, New York, N.Y., July 7 - July12
2010 World Monuments Gallery, NY, NY, August 11 - Sept 5 - 26 & Dec. 6 - 30
2010 Art League of the Chathams, Chatham, N.J. Winter Show Jan.13 - March 3
2009 Chelsea Museum, N.Y., N.Y.2007 2B Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, October 12 - November 12
2007, 2006, 2005 Adrian Howard Gallery, St. Petersburg, Florida., Group Show
2006 Neue Galerie Linz, Austria
1997 Washington Square Galleries, N.Y., N.Y., Spring Graduate Exhibition
1996, 1995 Pulse Art Gallery, New York, N.Y.,
1985, 1986 Metropolitan Gallery, Huntington, N.Y.,
1982 The Copley Society, Boston, Mass., Oct. & Nov.
1982 Boston City Hall, Main Gallery, Mass., June 10 - July 31
1982, 1981 San Diego Performing Arts Center, San Diego, Ca.; December, January, July & November >
SELECTED "TIME RELEASED" LIVE PAINTING & MUSIC PERFORMANCES
2017 Gilmore Sound Advice, New York, NY, December 15th
2016 Whitebox Performance Space, New York, NY June 14th
2015 Whitebox Performance Space, New York, NY Sept. 12th
2014 Weekend of Chamber Music Festival, Long Branch, NY, June 17th
2013 Redlands, Ca.; International Double Reed Convention, June 27th
2012 White Box Performance Space, Aug. 25th
2012 Longboat Key Center for the Arts, Ringling College of Arts, Fla., Jan. 5th
2011 Symphony Space, NY, NY., February 21st
2010 Symphony Space, new York, NY, February
2010 NYU, Frederick Loewe Theater, NYU, NY, NY, June 19th
2010 Studio@620, Saint Petersburg, FL., March 9th
2010 NYU, World Monument Fund Gallery, NY, NY, Jan. 9th
2008 The Heckscher Museum, Huntington, N.Y., Video, Live Music & Lecture, June 19th
2004 C.B.G.B.’s, Gallery, New York, NY, "Sonic Voyeurs", May 16th
2004 C.B.G.B.'s, Gallery, New York, N.Y., "Collisions", April 4th
TV BROADCAST, Half Hour Television Show:
2013 “Ken Cro-Ken at The Greenable Museum”, Channel 35, Woodbridge Township, NJ; Repeatedly broadcast 2012, 2013
