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Photo Copyrights: Dennis Kowalski












Dennis Kowalski


Education
1966  MFA The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
1964  Corcoran School of Art, Washington D.C.
1962  BFA The School of the Art Institue of Chicago.
1959  IllionoisInstitute of Technology
1955-57 University of Illionoisat Chicago (Architecture).
Grants
1995  Special Assistance Grant, Illionois Arts Council.
1984  IllionoisArts Council, Artists Fellowship.
1980 IllionoisArts Council, Artists Fellowship.
        IllionoisArts Council, Project Completion Grant.
1975  National Endowment for the Arts, Fellowship Grant
1966  George D. Brown Traveling Fellowship, 1995

Contact
Dennis Kowalski


Dennis Kowalski
(Beret International Gallery, Chicago)
  

Dennis Kowalski has dedicated 20 years of his life to making work that questions Modernism´s mechanisation of nature. Heidegger´s observation that it´s not that the picture of the world has changed, but the fact that it became a picture at all, is at the root of Kowalski´s qualms about modern society. He contemptuously reminds us that our seasons are no longer recognised by the earth´s proximity to the sun but by the changing displays at K-mart. Although you can come to count on Kowalski´s continual lampooning of the commodification of nature, at heart he is neither a Greenpeace militant nor an ecopioneer but a poet like Lucretius, who Virgil saw as happy in having understood the causes of things.

Rejecting metaphysical abstractions, Kowalski´s work invariably finds ample ground for spectacle and beauty in the perceptible universe. His continuing use of 12 by 12-inch linoleum tiles - arranged in symmetrical grids or horizontal lines - not only describes a new landscape for the urban masses but provides Kowalski with a Minimalist platform on which to stage his sociological observations and art world jabs. A series of four pieces en-titled "Captain Nemo" (1997) uses various aqua-green coloured linoleum tiles to frame photographs of aquarium backdrops

- exotic underwater scenes of sterile oceanlife that could never co-exist with the school of guppies swimming in front of it. Beautiful in their synthetic appearance and unsettling in their mockery, Kowalski´s linoleum objects continue to systematically codify the modern experience of the natural world while getting in a few good-natured shots at Carl Andre and doctrines of superficial content.
"Desert" (1996) is a linear string of seven light brown tiles with small holes cut in each square to reveal bodies of water. Procured from postcard-type reproductions, these tiny pictures of waterfalls, meandering rivers and still ponds are located toward the top of the tiles on the left, but like a declining graph, begin to descend on the right. Clearly, this is not a bell curve or a Larry Poons painting, only a sad commentary on our artificial relationship with the environment. Paralleling the disembodied eye from which culture views the natural world, the tiny oases of water quenching the scuff-resistant wasteland heightens the absurd dualities that underscores patriarchal dominance over the natural world while mimicking the minuscule lens in which we view the complexities of global ecology.
Kowalski is also careful to articulate the landscape reference by horizontally aligning the fine directional pattern typical
of the type of institutional linoleum tiles he employs. His astute formal language -

minimal and clean - is best at promoting the eminent danger of emotional neutrality toward nature (and art). Sidestepping the plethora of trendy dioramas currently seeping uncontrollably into the art scene as a result of Michael Ashkin´s success, Kowalski´s three floor sculptures entitled Native American Housing. (1997) - one each for the Plains, Northwoods, and Southwest Native Americans - crassly posit a subsidised nature and a prepackaged aboriginal culture.These lean-to card houses made from cut brown floor tiles dispersed amongst formations of patio stone are a frightening synthesis of American subdivision, inner city housing projects and the Final Solution.
With their daunting practical ease and political insensitivity, Kowalski´s ´home improvement´ models lack the decorative concern evident in his wall works. And yet as miniatures, they refuse to engage nostalgia, leisure and collectability; the key to much of the arousal surrounding the current fad for diorama production. Kowalski´s models look like they belong in a contractor´s trailer next to some blueprints and elevation maps, not in a natural history museum. This is what makes these foreboding sprawls of teepees cum card houses more cynical than the other works in the show; their potential for covert execution on an immediate and grand scale. Also included in the exhibition was a signed edition of 25 proposals, again

with ironic overtones, outlining a less disdainful, yet plausible, art installation that would work on a grassroots level to bridge the nature/culture dichotomy. S.U.V. (1979), an acronym for Survival Utility Vehicles, recognises the ecological impact of pick-up truck scavengers on the urban macrocosm. Collecting everything with a potential recycling value, these self-imposed garbage entrepreneurs barely squeeze out a living methodically gleaning alleyways with their beatup flatbed trucks. Kowalski´s proposal is to have three scavengers make their daily collection and instead of delivering it to the appropriate recycling plant, dump it in an exhibition space. ´I would help contribute to their livelihood, add to the economy, waste gas and oil, create senseless activity and add to or detract from my artistic reputation´, Kowalski writes in his S.U.V. proposal. But in spite of the sarcasm embedded in this hypothetical project, Kowalski harbours enormous respect and admiration for these men, because their livelihood mirrors the process-oriented paradigm of sound ecology. Unfortunately Kowalski himself is limited to creating exquisitely crafted gestures of exquisitely crafted gestures of exaggerated spectatorial epistemology.

Michelle Grabner
(Click on photos to enlarge)


Native American Housing Plains, 1997
Rocks + floor tile
14" x 36" x 62" (variable)


Native American Housing Northwoods 1997,
rocks + floor tile
16" x 38" x 62" (variable)


Native American Housing Southwest 1997, patio blocks + floor tile
18" x 36" x 68" (variable)


Trails End, 1997, plywood, rock,
horse, patio brick
16" x 48" x 96" (variable)


Trails End 1997
Plywood, rock, horse, patio brick
17" x 48" x 96"


Taurus - The Conquest of Space
1996, plywood, wide, angle, mirrors, spotlight, 47" x 96" (height variable)


Taurus - The Conquest of Space 1996, plywood, wide, angle, mirrors,
47" x 96" (detail)


Housing Starts, 1997
Photo 20" x 30"
piece 20" x 30" 32"
crushed coffee stained


Untitled
26" x 14" x 48", wood, photo, horse
Single Exhibitions
2000
1997
1995
1992
1993
1991
1990
1989
1988
1986
1983
1982
1981
1980
1978

1977
1976
1974
1972
1971
1969
 Bonifide Gallery, Chicago
Beret International Gallery, Chicago (reviewed Frieze) april/may 98
N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago
Robert Morrison Gallery, New York
Beret International Gallery, Chicago.
Deson/Saunders Gallery, Chicago.
Art Academy of Cincinnati.
Deson/Saunders Gallery, Chicago.
Trinity College, Palos Heights, Illinois. University of Indiana, Gary.Marianne Deson Gallery, Chicago.
Marianne Deson Gallery, Chicago.
Foster Gallery, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.
Marianne Deson Gallery, Chicago.
N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago.
Artpark, Lewiston, New York, Artists Project.
Marianne Deson Gallery, Chicago
Krannert Gallery, University of Illinois, Champaign.
Mundelien College, Chicago.
Michael Wyman Gallery, Chicago.
Michael Wyman Gallery, Chicago.
DePaul University, Chicago.
Indiana University, Northwest 1966 Silverman Gallery Chicago.


Wolf
40cm x 21cm 120cm, wood, photo,
laminate on plastic





Backbone, 1997
90cm x 90cm, floor tile and photos
Group Exhibitions
2000

1999
1998
1997

1997
1996



1995



1993

1992


1991



1990



1989
1988



1987

1986



1985


1984


1983




1982


1981

1980


1979
1978



1977

1976



1975


1974

1973
1970
1968
1966
1965-66

2000 Reasons to love the Earth, The Hague, Netherland, Essen, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, tokyo, johannesburg and Sydney
University of West Virginia Morgantown, WVA
Diverse Works The Harry Carray Show Houston, Texas.
Best of Beret Volume 2 Beret International Gallery, Chicago MANIF 97 International Art Fair Seoul, Korea
Juno Moneta @ Mindy Oh, New York
Total Museum of Contemporary Art Seoul, Korea and Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Contemporary Art, History of Art in Chicago Since 1945 Fassbender Gallery Constellations, Chicago College of Dupage Art Center 10th Anniversary Exhibition Glen Ellyn, IL
ARCO International Art Fair, Madrid 1994 Beret International Gallery, Worst Art Show, Chicago Hyde Park Art Center, 55th Anniversary Exhibition, Chicago Mindy Oh Gallery, Pieces of the Puzzle 3 Chicago Mindy Oh Gallery, Cultured Pearl, Chicago Illinois State Museum, Places Chicago, Springfield, Lockport
Robert Morrison Gallery, New York Columbia College Art Gallery, Self/World (2) Chicago
Betty Rymer Gallery, Form Americas Studio 125th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Gahlberg Gallery Art Center (2) College of DuPage, Glen, Ellyn, IL
Westart and the Law (traveling) New Orleans American Assoc. of Law, Minnesota Museum of Art St Paul New Visions Contemporary Art Atlanta Haggerty Ary Museum Marquette Univ. Milwaukee (curated) Robert t. Buck I. Michael Danhoff and Gudman Vigtal (cataloque) Forum Gallery sculpture invitational, Minneapolis
18 Artists 18 Major Works 18 Clybourn, Chicago installation Spirits in the Material World Deson/Saunders Gallery, Chicago Structures Deson/Saunders Gallery, Chicago Generations Part I Chicago Canegie-Mellon Univ. Gallery, Pittsburg
Previews Deson/Saunders Gallery, Chicago
The Whole World is Still Watching, Randolp St. Gallery, Chicago Redefining the Object Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art and Wright State Univ. Dayton, OH Lights Northern Illinois Univ, Gallery, Chicago Chairs Univ. of Wisconsin, EauClaire
Space Probe Hyde Park Art Center (4) Chicago Axe St Arena Art Daw installation, Chicago Axe St Arena Artists Call Bates Gallery, Chicago
Voyages Kohler Aryts Center Sheboygan, Wisconsin In Defense of Richard Serra Randolph St. Gallery, Chicago Painting and Sculpture Today Indianapolis Art Museum Northern Illinois Unviersity Gallery Alternative Media, Chicago Material Media Evanston Arts Center, IL
International Experimental Art Exhibition, Budapest Young Artists Club The Shadow N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago Then and Now Hyde Park Arts Center, Chicago 1+1=2 Artemesia Gallery, Chicago
The Object Tranformed Jan Cicero Gallery, Chicago Alternative Spaces A History in Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Landscape Marianne Deson Gallery, Chicago
Jim and Danielle Sotet Collection Unviersity of Maryland Semaphore Gallery New York Illinois State Museum Invitational, Springfield Fans Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago 10th Anniversary Exhibition N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago Castels Sculpture Suvey Marianne Deson Gallery, Chicago Anniversary Exhibition N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago
Mile of Sculpture Art Expo Navy Pier, Chicago Randolph St Gallery installation, Chicago Hewlett Gallery Carnegie-Mellon, Pittsburg Manhattan Psychiatric Center Sculpture Garden, New York
Various Places 26 Federal Plaza, New York City Sculpture Cultural Center, Chicago
Chicago Art Prospective, Navy Pier, Chicago Steffonotti Gallery, Ney York Marianne Deson Gallery, Chicago Onwardsisland, New York Dittmar Gallery (2) Northwestern University, Evanston
Wards Island, New York Dimensions I, Museum of Contemporary art Chicago Unviersity of Missouri, Kansas City Seven Sculptors, DePaul University, Chicago Works on Paper, The Art Institute of Chicago 7x9 show, N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago Delahunty Gallery, Dallas Painting and Sculpture 1978, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Kalamazoo Art Institute, Chicago Sculpture Pollack Gallery, Toronto MoMing Dance Center, Chicago, installation Arte Fiere, Bologna, Italy
Abstract Art in Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Marianne Deson Gallery, Chicago Distinguished Alumni, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago John Doyle Gallery, Chicago N.A.M.E. Gallery (2), Chicago Northwestern University, Evanston
The Art Institute of Chicago, Vicinity Exhibition University of Chicago, Bergman Gallery Midwest Bicentennial Sculpture, Federal Center Plaza, Chicago The Other Tradition, Michael Wyman Gallery, Chicago
Warren Benedek Gallery, New York Illinois State Museum, Springfield Federal Center Plaza, Chicago
MASS 73, 111 E. Wacker, Chicago DePaul Unviersity, Chicago
Allan Frumkin Gallery, Chicago
Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
DePaul University, Chicago
Vicinity show, The Art Institute of Chicago



Backbone, 1997
108cm x 108cm, floor tile and photos


Captain Nemo (grey), 1997
108cm x 108cm, tile and aquarium, photos


Captain Nemo (blue), 1997
108cm x 108cm, tile and aquarium, photos


Captain Nemo 1997
6cm x 108cm x 108cm, tile and aquarium, photos


Captain Nemo 1997
6cm x 108cm x 108cm, tile and aquarium, photos


Tropical Paradise, 1999
17" x 120" x 144"
plastic and polyanethane


House 1999
15" x 10"x 12"
rock and plastic


Native American Housing 1999 26" x 22"
photos on plastic board


Landslide 1999
16" x 36" x 36", parquet,
steel, fake stone and plastic
Collections (Public)
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Chicago, Lab School
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Philipsborn Corporation, Chicago
Prudential, New York
Sidley and Austin, Chicago
Indianapolis Museum of Art
First National Bank of Chicago
Governors State University, Park Forest South, it,
Illinois State University, Bloomington
Total Museum of Contemporary Art Seoul, Korea

Catalogues:
The Other Tradition, Derek Guthrie, Jane Allen, Michael Wyman Gallery, Chicago 1975 Sculpture for a New Era, Richard Koshalek & Jay Belloli, Art in Public Places, Chicago 1975
Abstract Art in Chicago, C.L. Morrison, Museum of Contemporary Art, 1976
Contemporary Chicago Scupture, Pauline Saliga, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, 1977
Chicago Abstrastactionists, Hollister Sturgis, University of Missouri, Kansas City, 1978 Chicago: The City and its Artists 1945-1978, Charles Lewis, Cynthia Yao, University of Michigan, 1978
Artpark 1978, Artists Statements, Lewiston, NY
Seven Sculptors, Holly Day DePaul Unviersity Chicago 1978 Painting and Sculpture 1978, Hillary T. Bassett, Indianapolis Museum of Art New Dimensions 1, Pauline Saliga, Museum of contemporary Art Chicago, 1979
Dennis Kowalski, Holly Day, N.A.M.E., Gallery Chicago 1980
Klemenu Kowalski, Dennis Adrian, Northwestern University, 1980
Mayor Byrnes Mile of Sculpture, Chicago Sculpture Society, May 1982
Small but Hot, Burpee Art Museum, Rockford, 11 A Guide to Chicagos's Public Sculpture, University of Chicago Press, IraJ. Bach and Maly Lockritz Gray, 1983
Alternative Spaces: A History in Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, 1984
Space Probe, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, Garret Holg 1986
Voyages Kohler Arts Center 1986 Painting And Sculpture Today, Indianapolis Art Museum 1986
Experimental Art Exhibition, Young Artists Club, Budapest, 1986
Redefining the Object, Wright State University and Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Essay, Dan Cameron, 1988
The Whole World is Still Watching, Randolph St Gallery, Chicago, Maureen Sherlock, 1988 Generations Partl, Chicago Carnegie Mellon Unviersity Gallery, Pittsburgh, Elaine King 1990
West Art and the Law, West Pub Co, St. Paul, MN, 1991 curators, Gudman Vigtal, Robert Treat Buck, I. Michael Danoff
From Americas Studio, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 125th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition, Neal Benezra and James Yood 1992
Place, Illinois State Museum, Cheryl Hahn, 199
Dennis Kowalski, N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago, publisher, essay Steve Tomasula, 1995 History of Chicago Art 1945-1995, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
MANIF 97 International Art Fair, Seoul, Korea
Diverse Works, David Robbins & Marilu Knodes 1998


Periodicals:
Art Forum, Review, Whiney Halsted, Sep 1967 Art News, Chicago, Franz Schulze 1975 periodicals continued
New Art Examiner, Devonna Piesek January 1975
Art in America, Chicago Oetter, Peter Schjledahl, July 1976
New Art Examiner, Seven Wedges for Art World Cross Town, Raye Mitchell December 1976
Arts News Rooms with a Point of View (lead photo), Kay Larsen Oct 1977
New Art Examiner, Artists on Artists, December 1977
Arts Artparks Fifth Year, Lenore Malen, Dec. 1978
Art in America Reviews, Holly Day Sep/Oct 1978
Art Express, Artpark and the Leisure Landscape, April Kingsly summer 1982
Chicago Tribune, Alan Artner, Act 1983
Chicago Sun Times, Landscape Review, Christopher Lyon, September 28, 1984
New Art Examiner, The Siting of Chicago, Paul Krainak Oct. 1983
Chicago Sun-Times, Landscape, Chicago Tribune, Alan Artner April 1986
Chicago Tribune, Sue Taylor, Space Probe, Jan 1987
New Art Examiner, Chicago Sculpture, Steve Luecking Oct 1988
Art News, Chicago Garret Holg Sep 1989
Chicago Tribune, Alan Artner, Review May 1989
Contemporunea, Chicago Reviews, Tim Porges May 1990
Cincinnati Enquirer, reviews, Owen Findsen Oct 14, 1990
Art Academy News, Cincinnati commentary, Cal Kowal Dec 1990
Chicago Tribune, Alan Artner Sep 1991
Falsh Art, Chicago, Kathryn Ifixon review Nov/Dec 1991
New Art Examiner, Chicago, James Yood review. Dec 1991
Chicago Tribune, Private Stock, Alan Artner and David McCraken, monograph, May 1993 Chicago Tribune, review, Nov 1993
New Art Examiner Michael Bulka, review Feb 1994
Dialoque, Pieces of the Puzzle, Tina Wasserman Nov/Dec 1994
New Art Examiner, Constellations, John Brunnetti, review Oct 1996
Art in Amercia, Where the Wild Things Were, Richard Vine, May 1997
Landscape Artist, Chicago Reader, Fred Camper, November 14, 1997
Frieze, April-May, Dennis Kowalski, Beret International Gallery, Chicago



Greece 26" x 34", 1999
4 " x 4" photos on plastic board


Korea 26" x 34", 1999
4 " x 6" photos on plastic board


Korea 26" x 34", 1999
4 " x 6" photos on plastic board


Greec 26" x 34", 1999
4 " x 6" photos on plastic board


Korea, 26" x 34", 1999
4 " x 6" photos on plastic board


Greece, 26" x 34", 1999
4 " x 6" photos on plastic board


Greece, 26" x 34", 1999
4 " x 6" photos on plastic board


England, 26" x 42", 1999
4 " x 6" photos on plastic board


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