“Kill your boss” patches. That’s just one example of the art you might find inside Kimberly Klark Gallery. This gallery isn’t your typical white-walled space. Kimberly Klark Gallery offers a refreshing alternative to the pressures of the mainstream art world.
Kimberly Klark Gallery began with three New York University art program graduates. Sydney Smith, Dennis Witkin, and Emma Hazen sought an affordable space to showcase art. They joined forces with Robert Grand, a Watkins College of Art graduate. Together, they established Kimberly Klark in Queens. The location was key. It allowed them to escape the exorbitant rents of Lower East Side galleries.
The name Kimberly Klark is itself a statement. It nods to the Kimberly-Clark industrial paper giant. It also winks at fictitious dealer names like Reena Spaulings and Regina Rex. This playful moniker reflects the gallery’s unconventional spirit.
Sydney Smith explains their philosophy. Being in Queens reduces commercial pressure. They want to give artists space to experiment. Kimberly Klark also welcomes emerging artists from outside New York City. This broadens the opportunities they can offer.
One exhibit, “Routine à la mode,” pondered the pointlessness of physical exercise. It suggested that art-making might be similarly futile. Yet both, in the end, make you feel better. The show featured six American artists. All were born under the Reagan or H. W. Bush administrations. Their multifaceted figurative pieces brimmed with allusions.
Dylan Vandenhoeck’s “Subway” offers a cubist vision. He painted studies on the subway. Then he created a swirling oil painting of a carriage. It captures the perspectives of two passengers simultaneously. Bradley Kronz’s “A Star Is Made + Wet Spot” pairs a firefly drawing with a glowing ass. The gallery director joked that it looks like it’s ejaculating, next to a Gumby toy.
Camila Guerrero’s “More Brighter” is an architectural assemblage. It includes billiards chalk, a candle sconce, and a nutcracker. Izabelle New’s “Keep Coming Back (patience)” is a hanging mobile. It descends from a rabbit fur-covered strawberry to a Swarovski-bedazzled crystal heart and a bashed-in silver Tweetie Pie.
Rafael Delacruz’s “Record player with vinyl” resurrected rejected show proposals. Paige K. B.’s collage explores reviewing exhibitions as a creative act. It also touches on the QAnon conspiracy theory. She suggests contemporary art is wildly complicated and confusing. It promises to entertain or reveal a greater truth.
Kimberly Klark Gallery isn’t just a space. It is a platform for experimentation. It is a haven for artists pushing boundaries. So, step inside. Prepare to encounter art that challenges. Art that provokes. Art that just might make you rethink everything.