Ken Beck has decided to have an exhibition of his works on paper, some of which have been neatly tucked under the covers since 1979, the same year Gloria Gaynor sang “I Will Survive.” Well, his vision has not only survived, but is thriving. This is an extraordinary opportunity to see the range of work created by Ken, one of Boston’s treasured artists.
In UNWRAPPED, Ken will be exhibiting a varied group of over 60
framed works on paper, expressly selected to reveal the exploratory,
creative and mostly unseen processes through which an artist unearths
and develops visual imagery, often in media which are never publicly
exhibited. These works, all executed on different forms of paper, will
include drawings in various media, watercolors, collages, lithographic
prints and alternative photographs in the Holga and SX-70 Polaroid
formats. The imagery ranges from representational to abstract.
This exhibition is the result of a selection process that involved
unwrapping dozens of portfolios and “wrapped,” boxed and stored works
on paper from which the artist, in consultation with other artists and
friends, chose representative works for this exhibition. Most of the work
on view has never been exhibited before.
The month long exhibit will take place at the Gallery at the Piano Factory
which is one of the oldest artist-run exhibition venues in the city of
Boston. Its continuous exhibition history goes back to 1974 with the
opening of The Piano Factory as a unique live/work residence and art
space for visual and performing artists and craftspeople. Originally built
as the Chickering Piano Factory in 1854, the building itself was then the
second largest building in the United States next to the US Capitol
Building in Washington. With soaring 25’ ceilings, solid granite support
pillars, and 1000 square feet of exhibition space, the gallery space is the
public visual expression of the work and activities of the building’s
residents. This is Beck’s fourth one-person exhibition at this unique
gallery.
UNWRAPPED Ken Beck: Selected Works on Paper 1979-2009
Gallery at the Piano Factory
791 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
UNWRAPPED runs from March 5-28
Opening Reception: Saturday March 6 from 1-5pm
Hours: Fridays 5-7pm, Saturday and Sundays 1-5pm
Hours: Fridays 5-7pm, Saturday and Sundays 1-5pm
Or By Appointment call (617) 267-1411 or email kebeqsta@earthlink.net
Image credit: All images courtesy of Ken Beck. From top to bottom: Photograph of Ken Beck; Hot Summer, watercolor on paper, 13″ X 11″; Two Waters, watercolor on paper, 13″ X 11″; Nice Day, watercolor on paper, 13″ X 11″
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