THE COSMIC GLOB SHOW
The spectacular work of KRK RYDEN
November 8th – December 6th
Opening reception: Saturday, November8th, 2008 7pm- 11pm
Harold Golen Gallery, 314 North West 24th St. (off of NW 2nd Ave.) Wynwood Art District, Miami, Florida 33127.
305.989.3359 www.haroldgolengallery.com
Admission is free!
KRK Ryden’s art is a record of mongrel pop culture. His aesthetic is informed by comic books, punk rock, and cartoons, while his world view is strictly DEVO. KRK’s work embraces everyday absurdity and a cartoony view of reality. His paintings are colorful and visually appealing reflections on discarded icons, and his graphics are well-realized snapshots of cartoon life. For over thirty years, KRK has been creating illustrations and paintings for underground bands, publishers, and institutions.
KRK was born in Seattle, Washington but didn’t stay there long.
His early years were spent growing up in Southern California, in cities like Anaheim, the home of Disneyland. KRK’s uncle Al was employed by Disney in the late 50’s and early 60’s as a manager of the ‘Main Street’ area of Disneyland. Because of this, “Keithie” got a lot of free E tickets. When he was four, he was introduced to old man Walt himself. Later that day, due to all the excitement, little Keithie hurled at the entrance of Disneyland, right on the cobblestone street.
Leap forward to Canyon High School, Castro Valley, 1968. In his sophomore year, an art class assignment would define his painting and drawing style, and consequently influence the artistic style of his brother, Mark Ryden. An art teacher had each student reach in a hat and pick a slip of paper with the name of a particular art movement scrawled on it. The student was to write a paper on the movement of art randomly chosen. When KRK (then Keith) picked “Surrealism,” he was peeved because he wanted to write about the Italian Renaissance. Another reason for the upset was because he had no clue what Surrealism meant. The word had looked utterly foreign. But after checking out a few school library books and seeing for the first time the art of Dali, the artist’s art and life was changed permanently. This art triggered a sort of rebellion; it created a disdain for the norm. There was no turning back to the imagery of landscapes, still-life, and puppies.
