When Kristin Weckworth told me that Kozyndan would be on the Lunch roster under Narwhal, I almost cried. Yes, I love their work.
Kozue and Dan Kitchens are nothing short of brilliant. Their collaborative work is not only a feast of the senses, but also a testament to partnership on every level. I've often thought about how amazing it would be to be in a relationship as creatively collaborative as the one played out in the work of Kozyndan.
Frequently imitated, their work is a mix of cute, intense and complex. I've often found myself lost in the details of their work. I began collecting Kozyndan work in 2002, knowing little about them and completely mispronouncing their name. I also assumed at the time that the artist was an older Japanese man. I've coloured their colouring book, photocopied it to colour it more and proudly display a bunnyfish swimming through my master bathroom. I'm absolutely thrilled to have them as a part of the Lunch family and even more excited to see their new work at Narwhal this week.
Narwhal Art Projects & Magic Pony are pleased to present The Unknown Portraits, a new exhibition with American-Japanese artist duo Kozyndan. This exhibition documents a unique portraiture project spanning the past four years of Kozyndan's travels. Originating from a found photo album unearthed in a Venice Beach thrift shop, Kozyndan were inspired to create imagined personae documenting the essence of these lost photographs. This collection of ficticious ephemera is comprised solely of small, detailed graphite portraits, each piece capturing the surreal humour and observation that has become fundamental within Kozyndan's distinctive style of artwork.
This exhibition explores the modern obsession with personal documentation. Each tiny moment is a reflection on the inevitability that our personal triumphs will be lost in history, our lives rendered inconsequential, only to be discovered by a new audience and given new meaning.
This exhibition is celebrated with the release of "The Unknown Portraits", a 150 page hardcover book presenting the full collection of these unique portraits. Illuminating select portraits are short stories inspired and imagined by a community of artist friends and writers includIng Pasha Malla, Mark "frosty" McNeill, Ryan Sands and Porous Walker, as well as Canadian talents Nick Flanagan, Mariko Tamaki and Maggie MacDonald.
The Unknown Portraits is Kozyndan's third Canadian solo exhibition and runs from October 1 - 25, 2009. The opening reception will be held on Oct. 1st from 6-10pm, with a signing from 6-8pm. Kozyndan will be in attendance.
Kozyndan are available for digital work through Lunch.
