REX KALEHOFF
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Rex Kalehoff is a wood and stone sculptor from New York (USA). Kalehoff graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture at the University of Arts, Philadelphia, PA in 2002. After graduating, he taught sculpture in Thailand and Australia. He pursued graduate studies in Tasmanian Earth Sciences, History and Wilderness at the University of Tasmania, Australia in 2003 and completed a Master of Fine Arts in Woodworking and Furniture Design at the School for American Crafts, Rochester Institute of Technology. Rochester, NY in 2012.
Kalehoff describes himself as a keen and curious observer of the world- an amateur anthropologist, historian, and naturalist. He has studied first-hand the endemic forests and pristine coastline of Tasmania, and have lived for several years in the presence of ancient ruins and customs in South-East Asia. His ardour for world diversity (both cultural and natural) forms the foundation of his artistic practice. In his sculptural work, Kalehoff aims to portray an intimate connection to the earth. Each piece is inspired by personal experiences and fantasies as a modern-day explorer and reflects on both the paradoxical and harmonious relationships between nature and culture, modern and ancient times, mythology and science. His figures are contemplative, refined and hold an endearing playfulness. Kalehoff's three-dimensional work is inspired and translated directly from original two-dimensional line drawings. The drawings are clear, compelling graphics utilising repetitive patterns, symbolism and familiar representational imagery. In his time as a resident artist at Auckland Print Studio Kalehoff created a series of whimsical lithographs. Kalehoff merged New Zealand imagery with other universal symbols to create unique compositions that aim to record shared human experience. Kalehoff's work has been shown in Philadelphia and New York, as well as in Europe, Japan and Thailand. He received the New Approach Inc. Robin Award (a collector's Award) in the First International Medallic Sculpture Competition for Emerging Artists. The awarded work is in the permanent collection at the New Approach Contemporary Medallic Sculpture Collection and Research Center, New York. He was a recipient of a fellowship in the Windgate ITE residency Program at the Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia (USA) in 2015. | |||
