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| David Kimelman |
Every other Friday, I'll bring you more from my column Last Chance.
This photograph, Builder, is from David Kimelman's exhibit "Natural World" up at Hudson Beach Glass (26 S. Strawberry St., 267-319-1887) through August 26. Like his other works, it's funny, kinda uncomfortable to look at and questions our relationship with the natural world. When I first scanned through his exhibit (check out images from it in our online gallery), I thought it definitely reflected Kimelmans's concern with environmental issues and disaster. Take Builder, in which we've literally created a symbolic, crappy Earth ' kinda Truman Show-esque, no? But Kimelman says he's not trying to make an environmental statement. Read why in the Q&A below:
City Paper: How'd you arrive at this theme of "natural order"?
David Kimelman: Since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by nature and natural phenomena. As I grew up, I became more aware of how people fit into, and don't fit into, the natural world. My concerns are sometimes about environmental issues, but my main interest is in what our relationship to the natural world says about us, both as a species and as individuals. You can tell so much about a person by how he treats his mom. I feel the same is true of us people, and our mother, nature.
CP: There's a sense of humor in your work. Do you find the clashing of man and nature to be somewhat funny?
DK: Yes, I do. The images certainly raise serious issues, but a lot of the pictures are about the uncomfortable relationship people have with nature, and I think uncomfortable relationships are inherently funny. I also think humor in art makes that art more accessible and enjoyable to look at, and I want my pictures to be accessible and enjoyable to look at.
CP: I keep coming back to those two old people on the beach. How do you they represent the complex relationships between man and nature?
DK: "Long Walks On The Beach" represents the upside of the relationship. It's not all fear and alienation. In this case the subjects' environment, the beach, is fostering a very tender and genuine human moment.
CP: The term "natural order" implies that nature trumps man, and that's kind of a jarring thing to admit as a human. Are you trying to force your audience to realize that's the case?
DK: Nature does trump man, but the pictures are not really about who's stronger. It's about recognizing the role we play by being both a part of nature, and something separate, which often feels adversarial. I want people to look at the pictures and seriously consider how they fit into that role. I'm not trying to make an environmental statement. I'm trying to make people more aware of the larger context of their humanity, and how they fit into the world.
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