Brett Kern, a ceramic artist who lives and works in West Virginia, was recently featured in the Bedford Gallerys Peaceable Kingdom: Animals Real and Imagined. His playful sculptures take their cue from internationally renowned artist Jeff Koons who in the 1980s made sculptures that imitated inflatable balloon animals. Shifting the focus from balloon animals to vinyl blow-up toys, Kern creates ceramic sculptures that have a wonderful sense of presence and heft. His choice of subject matter, the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Brontosaurus, two well-known examples of dinosaurs is a cheeky reference to the role dinosaurs have played in narratives about American childhood throughout the past 50 years. Kerns work occupies an intersection of popular culture, childhood memories, and conceptual art practice.
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