Chris Kenny’s work originates in found materials – his creative strategy being one of discovery. He is concerned with the human predicament: our fragility, our sensuality, our pride, our mythologies. He uses forsaken, amateur landscape paintings sourced from flea markets to meditate upon the recurring human desire to envisage heaven on earth. The paintings are cut and joined to build little houses which are then composed in terraces. Letters cut from their facades spell out mythic idylls – Arcadia, Eden, Utopia etc. Each house becomes a portrait of a forgotten individual, their longings and their dreams, their voice still just discernible in the marks and forms of the repurposed painting.
Chris Kenny lives in London. He has exhibited internationally and has worked in major collections including the V&A, British Museum and Museum of London.
Artwork: Utopia