Ken Kaminksi

9/11 Paintings

Ken Kaminski – Artist StatementThe 911 body of work focuses on the tragic events leading up to, during, and after the terrorist attack that occurred in New York on September 11, 2001. Most of the paintings were created over the last eleven years, but several of them go back twenty plus years, including works that were made in response to the Gulf War in 1991.

The events surrounding 9/11 have impacted me in a very profound way. They inspired a creative journey that has been personal and emotional, while exploring the role of religion and ideology in shaping the tensions and conflict that have marked our recent history.

The paintings that emerged are visually expressive, with bold color, heavy impasto, collage, and assemblage. The work incorporates architectonic forms with gestural brush strokes inspired by Abstract Expressionism. For the most part, the process of developing a painting is unconscious rather than pre-planned. There is a willingness to destroy the current state of any painting if it is not working, by adding a found object or obliterating a previous section with the thick application of new paint.

The artwork evolves over time by taking risks. Some paintings are completed quickly, although many are in process for months or even years, with multiple paintings worked on at the same time. During the completion of a canvas, ideas for new paintings emerge and a quick sketch is made so that the idea is not lost.

These paintings are a vehicle to document the events of 9/11 and their aftermath, including the current efforts toward recovery and remembrance. What is most important is for this work to leave a historically accurate legacy to ensure that all global citizens remember what happened.

F.A.M.E NYC Magazine Review

9/11 Reflected Through Color – The Art of Ken Kaminski

One of my favorite childhood fables was the story of Henny Penny. What always stuck with me was the repeated use of the phrase, “The sky is falling.” It was the first time I was ever confronted with a tale that dealt with hysteria. How could I had known that one day I would feel driven to scream those exact words, but when I saw the twin towers ablaze and the mayhem that was unfolding in real time as we helplessly watch on TV, I felt like that manic chicken wrought with panic and fear. September 11, 2001 is a mental scar I’ll always carry with me.

As intense as the memories are of that day, I can scarcely remember any color with the exception being the perfect blue sky that offered the delusion that nothing that terrible could befall us. What I remember most are the feelings that coursed through me at rates so fast I could barely record them, terror firmly placing a grip around my neck, anxiety tapping Morse code up and down my arms, disorientation mushrooming in my brain and grief taking possession of my heart. I returned home from my job, where we had to evacuate because of a bomb threat, turned on my TV and laid down on my bed to hear the sounds of faint whistles from dying firemen. I felt absolutely defeated.

The tragedy of 9/11 left this country reeling and sent us all on our own journeys as we tried to reconcile what happened. Ken Kaminski’s journey took him to the canvas creating a series of work that spans well over a decade. Using the template of abstract expressionists like Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Emerson Woefler, Kaminski has attempted to record the events and emotions of that day as well as the recovery period that continues to shape us. His efforts also allow those who are too young to remember 9/11 the ability to witness the emotion of that day.

FAMERS I am here to report that his endeavors are wildly successful. I had the pleasure of viewing a few of Kaminski’s 9/11 paintings at the Edward Williams Gallery, located at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Hackensack campus. The exhibit includes eight selected works that brilliantly convey the events of that day brightly expressed in various hues. The exhibit begins with Blue Sky Day – triptych. This three panel painting brings you face to face with speed of these flying bombs and the majestic sky that it corrupted.

With each panel the viewer sees the countdown of the planes getting closer and closer until it hits making its bloody and destructive impact.

911 The Moment It Happened is an eerie mix of color. The space surrounding The World Center no longer is colored in blue like the atmosphere painted in Blue Sky Day, instead the blue is muddled with streaks of different colors showing the chaos that followed the impact of the first plane, represented in an explosion of oranges and reds bursting from the side of the tower. Streams of black cover one of the towers like a foreshadowing of despair to come.

Blindsided shows the line of fire going straight into one of the towers then blasting out of the other side. Crippled from the blow, the tower bends and the pain is obvious. All that is missing is the scream, but if you remember the sound of the planes hitting the towers, then this painting will ensure that the awful roar of the plane echoes in your ears. Blindsided is an acute observation of a drive-by.

Twins! is a stoic, almost haunting, vision of The World Trade Center towers before 8:46 a.m. September 11, 2001. They were proud and victorious, a symbol of might and power. They represented everything that was great about The Big Apple. In Kaminski’s painting they appeared alive and vibrant again instead of frozen as they are in photographs. The yellow background also contributes to the energy of the piece. It makes you long for the nostalgia of what used to be. If this painting were a song, it would be called The Way We Were.

Wounded Towers is a kaleidoscope of disorder. The colors vividly capture the confusion permeating the area as people scrambled for safety and the bent, smoldering towers desperately tried to remain the symbols of glory that they once were, a last valiant effort before they ultimately disintegrated into dust.

Collapse is engulfed in a blending of hues that bring chills to the spine. The voices of those who were lost don’t just whisper, they shriek. It shows the true potential of visual art. There are no words necessary, this painting is one of the most telling portraits of pain and suffering that I’ve ever saw. If someone wanted to understand the mood of the country when the tragedy of 9/11 occurred, all they would have to do is view this painting.

Considering this year will mark the 13th anniversary of 9/11, I believe Kaminski’s exhibit couldn’t visit the New York metropolitan area at a better time. It allows another way for us to remember and venerate a day that will forever be a part of our history. Kaminski’s work carries with it a raw, emotional ambiance. It pulls you in. No matter how hard the visuals may be to look at, Kaminski’s work burst past your pupils and forces you to deal with whatever memories or residual feelings you may have buried. For as much as Kaminski’s work is steeped in tragedy, it is also immersed in the resilience of the city of New York and its people. Yes, the sky did fall, but we didn’t get mired in the pain. We stood atop the ashes; we rebuilt and honored those we lost. The 9/11 paintings are not only powerful and healing; they are a testament that when an artist creates from his or her soul the work that is generated is timeless.

Fine Arts Resume - Ken Kaminski

EducationM.F.A. OTIS Art Institute / Parsons School of Design. Los Angeles, CAB.F.A. Bradley University. Peoria, IL (Magna Cum Laude)

Selected Solo Exhibitions Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Troy, NY (9/11 Paintings -

scheduled)2015

Fairleigh Dickinson University. Hackensack, NJ - 9/11 Paintings

2014

New York University. NY, NY - Broadway Windows 1996

Z Gallery, Soho, NY 1994

Richard/Bennett Gallery. LA, CA 1988

Hurlbutt Gallery. Greenwich, CT 1988

Nivada Gallery. San Diego, CA 1987

Richard/Bennett Gallery. LA, CA 1987

Selected Group Exhibitions Hal Katzen Gallery. NY, NY 1994

Korby Gallery. Cedar Grove, NJ 1993

ACE Gallery. LA, CA 1990

Rico Gallery. LA, CA 1989

Angels Gate Gallery. Long Beach, CA 1988

Otis Art Institute. LA, CA 1986

North Gallery (Parsons School of Design). LA, CA 1986

Writings / Reviews Dominique Nahas. “Things are Different: The Art of

Ken Kaminski” - NY, NY2013

John Mendelsohn. “Independent” - NY, NY 2013

Robert Mahoney. “Independent” - NY, NY 2013

Eileen Watkins. “New Jersey Star Ledger” - Newark, NJ

1993

Tom McManus. “Pre-Apocalyptic” - Chicago, IL 1991

Dorithy Friedman. “The Advocate & Greenwich Times” Greenwich, CT

1988

Shirle Gottlieb. “Long Beach Press Telegram” - Long Beach, CA

1988

Cathy Curtis. “Los Angeles Times” - LA, CA 1988