KEIJSERS KONING

Brent Birnbaum:
Puppies & Trolls & Giraffes, Oh My!

March 30 – May 4, 2024

Keijsers Koning is pleased to present Brent Birnbaum’s solo exhibition Puppies & Trolls & Giraffes, Oh My!. It is all but short of a homecoming to the Dallas native returning to his home turf. In this exhibition he’ll use found objects to push the formal elements of sculpture as well as building a narrative out of our nostalgia.

Throughout the exhibition the audience will have an affinity with objects like a “Pound Puppy” or neon letters from a ceded “Toys “R” Us”, and relish in those youthful sentiments and wonder while pondering the composition of an assemblage. The collision of pop culture and the formality of sculpture become a novel narrative of form and emotion.

The emotion behind a collectible and its craze allows a personification for the objects as it has shaped America’s youth culture. These ‘cherished’ objects eventually find their way on sites like eBay and the once coveted ‘love’ is turned into a discarded relic. Birnbaum uses the plethora and is able to transform their numbers into an abstract barrier or form. He turns their ligaments into patterns and extracts them from their intended impressions. Separating the objects from their accepted origin allows for a new narrative to evolve that is at once recognizable yet offers a unique experience. The objects’ affinity makes one reminisce on childhood, as well as cogitate our presence within adulthood; time is but a ponder.

Birnbaum (b. 1977) achieved his MFA in 2006 from SVA, NYC; Post-BC at SMFA, Boston; BFA Interior Design, UNT, TX. He was a the co-founder of Topless Gallery (2014-2016), Rockaways, NY; currently runs Walter’s inside the Walter Elwood Museum, Amsterdam, NY. Birnbaum has exhibited at Casino Luxembourg-Forum d’art Contemporain in Luxembourg; Abrons Art Center, NYC; Material Art Fair, Mexico City; The Invisible Dog, Brooklyn, NY; Museum Wilhelm Mogner, Soest, Germany; the New Bedford Art Museum, New Bedford, MA; Keijsers Koning, Dallas, TX; Galerie PJ, Metz, France; Lu Magnus, NYC; Denny Gallery, NYC / HK; and Davidson Contemporary, NYC.

Keijsers Koning

150 Manufacturing street, suite 201
Dallas, TX 75207
469.961.5391

Public Hours : Wednesday – Saturday 11am – 5pm
Appointment only; Monday – Tuesday

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