Christian Rex van Minnen (New York, NY)
Posted by Evan La Ruffa on 2nd Apr 2012
"Take a universe size pile of piles. Take a dark matter cookie cutter to it. Open your eyes. Voila!"
At first glance it's horrendous yet familiar, like an image of your grandmother reduced to the things she ate, or had in her linen drawer, bonded together with rot and guttural detritus. A surreal but altogether honest view into 'figuration from abstraction', right out of Dali's book of rhymes. Christian Rex van Minnen seemingly has a hold on what is "real" and important; shown through his work reconditioning post Katrina New Orleans and literally finding amongst the rubble, an inspiration for his art. Vibrant oil colors attract the eye but as details emerge and graphic realizations occur, attention returns to the beauty of the calm sickness within. Van Minnen, 'Driven by the idea of portraiture, or identity' 'and flesh- individual and collective', he connects what we are and who we are with fungus, dust, and a few daisies. His STILL LIFE series associates the surface beauty we see with the decay it took to make a rebirth possible. Further still, he bonds a human connection by 'exploring the idea of a 'keyhole portrait' that reveals an infinite pile of flora and fauna. It's so human to want to view something carnal and organic. Van Minenns work satisfies even the darkest of these desires.
Online portfolio- http://www.seevanminnen.com/
Artist Blog- http://www.christianvanminnen.blogspot.com/