Kelly Bugden + Van Wifvat

Abstract wood Sculpture: 'Rig I'

2015

The artistic collaboration of Kelly Bugden + Van Wifvat has produced a thought-provoking body of sculptures, paintings, and constructions. Nature, childhood memories, and everyday archetypes take shape in unexpected combinations of materials. The works emerged as the tactile and visual senses channeled the ritualistic power and materiality of selected artifacts. The resulting objects exist in a space between what they were originally and what they could become. A wheel, for example, is distorted as if seen through a prism. Their collaboration grew out of years of shaping materials into one-of-a-kind objects. Intuitively, the process of creating with their hands took an inward turn. Prism is a travelogue through memories and dreams, yielding abstract forms that capture moments of transformation. Van Wifvat grew up with eight siblings and studied sculpture and environmental design in Minneapolis at MCAD. In 1979, he opened a storefront art gallery to promote the work of local artists. The space featured printed materials—art books, periodicals, fanzines, and postcard’s. Wifvat moved to New York in 1983 to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons. In 1987, he co-founded Van Gregory & Norton design studio, specializing in convex mirrors and curtain hardware...

The artistic collaboration of Kelly Bugden + Van Wifvat has produced a thought-provoking body of sculptures, paintings, and constructions. Nature, childhood memories, and everyday archetypes take shape in unexpected combinations of materials. The works emerged as the tactile and visual senses channeled the ritualistic power and materiality of selected artifacts. The resulting objects exist in a space between what they were originally and what they could become. A wheel, for example, is distorted as if seen through a prism. Their collaboration grew out of years of shaping materials into one-of-a-kind objects. Intuitively, the process of creating with their hands took an inward turn. Prism is a travelogue through memories and dreams, yielding abstract forms that capture moments of transformation. Van Wifvat grew up with eight siblings and studied sculpture and environmental design in Minneapolis at MCAD. In 1979, he opened a storefront art gallery to promote the work of local artists. The space featured printed materials—art books, periodicals, fanzines, and postcard’s. Wifvat moved to New York in 1983 to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons. In 1987, he co-founded Van Gregory & Norton design studio, specializing in convex mirrors and curtain hardware...

The artistic collaboration of Kelly Bugden + Van Wifvat has produced a thought-provoking body of sculptures, paintings, and constructions. Nature, childhood memories, and everyday ar...

Megan Klim's mixed media work juxtaposes several materials on one picture plane.  She highlights their inherent qualities to create surface tension which sparks a conversation and in...

"Folded Form I", steel mesh, painted, electroplaited, gold and silver leaf, 12 1/4" x 12 1/4" x 12 1/4", 2004. This abstract geometric wall sculpture was done by fiber artist, Jin-S...

This abstract geometric mixed media piece was done by fiber artist, Jin-Sook So (b. 1950, Korea). So grew up in Seoul, Korea where she received a master's degree in textile art, afte...

This abstract geometric mixed media piece was done by fiber artist, Jin-Sook So (b. 1950, Korea). So grew up in Seoul, Korea where she received a master's degree in textile art, afte...

This eclectic and elegant contemporary sculpture is by Ania Biczysko whose work has been exhibited internationally. In this dynamic piece, ribbons of stainless steel swirl outward in...