Shaun Kardinal

Hand-embroidered magazine (TV Guide, October 1970). 6 x 9 inches. Collaboration with Troy Gua.

A Troy Gua Production

Troy’s latest exhibition, The Sweet Life (Act Like You’re Interested), is a show ‘with many threads’–figuratively with its multiple intertwining core ideas and, with my contribution, quite literally. Troy asked three other artists to generate work for his show. Under his direction [thread], he provided me with a chosen TV Guide cover (after this set), which would rest on the arm of his father’s [thread] old recliner. Surrounding it: trash as art [thread], cleverly-arranged and -manipulated family portraits, art-negating-artworks [thread], and a plastic Jesus swinging from a toy helicopter [thread], among others. If that reads like a mess, it’s probably because it is a little–and it’s a mess I’m very pleased to be a part of.

Holding Pattern (installation view)

The show runs through November 24 at NEPO House in Columbia City, Seattle.

View work details »

Lightjet c-print, 36 x 17-1/4 inches. Collaboration with Erin Frost.

Created for Alterations, a one-night exhibition with Erin Frost.

This set of works combined many of our interests: performance photography, sewing and each other. Though strikingly different in mood and content from our last collaborations, the focus is again on a kind of connection, a force between us.

View work details »

Lightjet c-prints, 8 x 10 inches each, thread, frames, easels. Collaboration with Erin Frost.

Created for Alterations, a one-night exhibition with Erin Frost.

A sculptural take on the series.

View work details »

Lightjet c-prints, 11 x 14 inches each. Collaboration with Erin Frost.

Created for Alterations, a one-night exhibition with Erin Frost.

This diptych is part of a bigger triptych. It’s a four-part triptych, see.

View work details »

Plexiglass (40 sheets, 8 x 8 x 1/8 inches) and lightbox. 10 x 10 x 7 inches. Collaboration with Troy Gua for 'Bloom & Collapse.'

A sculpture for the taking.

From the group exhibition statement: ‘Bloom & Collapse’ presents the collaborative work of seven pairs of artists who have come together to address concepts of decay, fragmentation and decomposition. Paired with my good friend Troy Gua, with whom I’d collaborated once before, we knew a few things immediately: our work would be comprised of many pieces which would be free for the taking; the final output would bloom under our guidance and decay gracefully into the hands of many. Additionally, we wanted to address impermanence, artistic oeuvre, and a transition toward Light.

After a few rounds of preliminary sketches and planning, we arrived at this stacked pyramid approach, which merged Troy’s love of plastic sheen with my ever-increasing fondness for simple shapes made up of many carefully organized points. With the exception of the top piece, each of the 40 plexi sheets has four holes drilled into it. Stacked, a three-dimensional pyramid of light appears on the sides; viewed from above, a strangely refracted array of holes sway with the viewer, like the following eyes of a portrait.

Lastly, while installing, we shot a time-lapse-like series of photos to show how the sheets work with one another:

We are happy to report that all 40 sheets were taken during the exhibition’s opening reception.

‘Bloom & Collapse’ shows at SOIL Gallery through February, 2011. Visit troygua.com for more of Troy’s work.

View work details »