Artist Bio

 

 

Centric 62: Ken Price: Small is Beautiful
August 27 – October 27, 2002

Ken Price: Small is Beautiful presented rarely exhibited drawings by an artist who is widely recognized for his sculptural works. Price has never sought wide exposure for his drawings and would prefer that they remain a private, creative outlet. Not fond of discussing the meaning or the process of making the work, he wants the drawings to remain ambiguous and free of an art historical context. He fears that scrutiny, analyzation, and commercialization of the work will cause it to lose its magic, but the work was too delicious to hide. Seen collectively in Centric 62, the work reveals the artist’s life-long love of making art. Price said, “I never wanted to be anything other than an artist.  I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember—since I was a kid, two or three…” The  underlying theme of the work is the interest in portraying a certain place, be it real or imagined. Natural forms are not rendered with exact likeness, but instead are a channel for personal expression and artistic experimentation. In the stylized rocks, swelling waves, undulating mountains and rippling water, the viewer delights in the natural wonders of the land and the fantastical. And most importantly, like Price’s love of art-making, the work reminds the viewer the reward of art appreciation – the joy of looking.

Centric, which began in 1981, is an ongoing series of exhibitions dedicated to introducing the University Art Museum ausidence to work by individual artists that has not previously been shown in the area.

Image Credit: Installation view of exhibition, Ken Price: Small is Beautiful, University Art Museum, CSULB, 2002.