Exhibitions:
Tom Koken
Undertow
15.04.11 – 31.05.11
Undertow is made up of 40 individual drawings that work together to form one large piece. It was created with the most basic writing/drawing tool – a blue ballpoint pen from a stationary store. The work refers to doodling, the urge to fill the page and the need to fill time. Undertow was produced over a year in which Koken used only one single, simple decorative unit – a curved stem with leaves – over and over again. By overlapping (and underlapping) Koken wanted to create overloaded walls of pattern, arranged to fill the *QueenSpecific window with chaotic natural beauty that is at once impenetrable and inviting.
Tom Koken was born in St. Louis, MO and lives and works in New York City. He studied at Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO and received a BFA with honors from School of Visual Arts, NYC. Selected one-person shows include: Phantom Limb, MKG127; Sragow Gallery, NYC; E.S. Galt Gallery, St. Louis, MO; Artist’s Space, NYC. His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions. He received a studio grant for a year at the Clocktower, NYC and a year at PS1 MoMA, NYC. His work is in the collection of Prudential Life Insurance as well as several private collections.
www.tomkoken.com