Mark Moore Gallery proudly presents Antiquity in the faux, an exhibition of mixed-media assemblage sculptures by artist Kris Kuksi. This will be Kuksi’s Second solo exhibition with the gallery.

Kuksi’s ornate sculptures call to mind the intricacies of Art Nouveau or Baroque artworks. From a distance, these sculptures are deceptively decorative, but upon closer inspection, the grotesque realities slowly emerge. The most prominent figure often appears serene and omnipresent as she presides over the mounting chaos below. Reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights,” Kuksi’s characters inhabit a world rife with sin, corruption, and tragedy.

Kris Kuksi obsessively collects and arranges a variety of cultural flotsam and jetsam – figurines, model parts, collectibles, craft parts, and jewelry. The carefully curated and protracted collection process required for each piece renders each and every item a precious and integral object in these apocalyptic dioramas. The political, spiritual, and material conflicts captured within these shrines expose Kuksi’s disenchantment with the past, present, and future state of the world.

Kuksi's three-dimensional works are a macabre reflection that mirrors our own ultimately futile quest for accumulation. Yet, despite the overwhelming despair and irredeemable fallacies of man that kuksi explores, a romantic and wistful quality perseveres in the amalgamation of these tiny, independent elements, coming together to create a whole.

Born in 1973 in Springfield, Missouri, Kris Kuksi earned his BFA and MFA in painting at Fort Hays State University and works in Hays, Kansas. His work has received several awards and prizes and has been featured in over 100 exhibitions world wide as well as featured in international art magazines and fictional book covers. Solo exhibitions of his work include Triumph (2012), Beast Anthology (2009), and Imminent Utopia (2008) at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York; Go West at Mark Moore Gallery, Culver City (2012); The Strange and The Fantastic, Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, Kansas City, MO (2004); and The Within, Fraser Gallery, Washington, DC (2003).