Where businessmen fight and the pope rides a horse: over the past decade, american artist Casey McKee has married photography with painting.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Casey McKee relocated to Berlin only a few years ago. Our first contact was one of those small moments in life that usually pass by inconsequential: he dropped by our gallery in Hamburg in 2004 more or less by coincidence, and I remember that we chatted a little bit. But during our quick conversation he never mentioned that he was an artist. Which is very unsusal for a lot of artists visiting a gallery, and I must admit that the least thing I assumed was that Casey would be one.
I recall him being just a very nice, polite and well dressed guy with a sharp sense of humour. Hit-and-run: our encounter was so brief, I didn’t even invite him for a coffee. It was only when he left that I became curious. He wrote down his web adress in our guestbook, so I decided to check it out to see what he’s up to.
Casey just had managed to create attention by not creating any at all.
His site caseymckee.com wasn’t as comprehensive back then as it is today, but it already convincingly documented a very complex body of work, ranging from photography to painting to video. It left me with the desire to learn more, and specifically understand the distinctive aesthetic of his paintings.
Casey McKee is an excptional professional photographer, who also worked for magazines in the US and in Europe. First, he takes mostly staged shootings for the specific topic he is currently working on. His photography is never digital, so from the classic medium format film he develops extra large photos on canvas. In order to do that, Casey uses a photographic emulsion, that he paints on the canvas before enlarging the negative. All of this happens in his own darkroom, which has self-build sinks the size of garden ponds. Afterwards, he spends the majority of time working with oil paint to bring out the desired expression in his works.
In his own words: “The final work is neither a photograph, nor a painting but something directly in between with qualities of both.”
His visionary approach to combine two very traditonal techniques, paired with his alertness for and understanding of socio-political themes, brought his works into galleries and museums around the world. Understanding himself as a constant learner in a world so rich with possibilities and discoveries, Casey McKee never ceases to develop his technique as well as his approach further.
The decision to show Casey McKee at the heliumcowboy artspace was an easy one. And for his inaugural exhibition in 2005, named “Corporate Warfare”, Casey brought his by now infamous fighting businessmen along. Since then, Casey has become a regular at the gallery, with three solo-shows on the roster, several participations in group exhibitions and on art fairs, and an ever-growing fan base. Not just, but arguably mostly consisiting of businessmen.
Next exhibition:
Opening January 22nd, Casey McKee will show his solo-exhibition “Robber Barons” during the 34. Literarische Woche at the Zentralbibliothek Bremen: more info
Links:
Images courtesy of heliumcowboy artspace and Casey McKee
| 12. January 2010 |
Jörg Heikhaus |
Art | Casey McKee | Gallery | heliumcowboy | Photography
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