Kimberly LaVonne: This is Devotion

Please join us on 3rd Friday in March, as Kiosk Gallery presents This is Devotion, a solo exhibition of ceramic work by Kimberly LaVonne. LaVonne’s work explores an interest in anatomy, as well as ­reliquaries and objects of devotion. Creating an invented personal mythology, she uses recurrent i­magery in a combination of drawing and ceramic processes.

Artist statement: 

With this body of work I focused on creating a series of ceramic objects that explore ­notions of remembrance, veneration and devotion. My studio practice blends themes of anatomical imagery with occult iconography; I wanted this series of work to continue in that vein, as inconspicuous reliquaries. I chose utilitarian forms such as ­platters, ­pitchers, bowls and vases because of their ability to integrate into the home. The surface of each vessel is transformed from a simple vase for flowers into one depicting an invented saint surrounded by a gold halo or rays. Other components within the ­collaged imagery may include teeth, organs, flowers and food. Repeated rows of teeth reference my f­ascination with the bones of saints in reliquaries and their decorative application within crypts. They act as small mementos to the whole and have a figurative quality of their own. Intestinal imagery hovers at the edges and borders of compositions alluding to the duality of the viscera folded within us not only as anatomy but also as the essence of who we are. The floral motifs evoke a sense of celebration in life and sentimentality in death. Papaya and patacones are woven in as a nod to my Panamanian heritage and the myths that sparked my curiosity and desire to seek out the preternatural in regard to the body and death. By bringing these concepts into the home via functional and familiar objects I hope to integrate ideas surrounding death and how, or through what we are able to mourn, commemorate and devote space for those we wish to remember.

Bio:

Kimberly LaVonne is a Kansas City-based visual artist working primarily in ceramics and drawing. LaVonne’s work blends together ideas of death, anatomy, ritual and the occult. She received her BFA from the University of Central Missouri and an MFA in ceramics from Indiana University.

https://klavonneluther.wordpress.com/

Artist’s reception: Friday, March 15th, from 6-9 pm

Open Hours: Fridays 12-6, Saturdays 12-4, and by appointment

Show runs through May 9th