Dieu Donné is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by sculptor Mel Kendrick produced during the Lab Grant Program, a residency for mid-career artists. A full-color publication with essay by Lynne Tillman is available.

Through the Lab Grant Program, Kendrick experimented with paper pulp-casting of large, two-dimensional, wood relief sculptures. Kendrick’s use of this technique reflects upon his prints, bronzes, and rubber castings of wood sculptures, developed throughout the 1980s and 90s. During his exploration of handmade paper, Kendrick employed a variety of techniques, including watermarking, stenciling, and the multiple layering of wet sheets. Kendrick’s experimentation led to several large-scale and tiled works, produced in collaboration with artistic director, Paul Wong and staff.

Kendrick’s most recent exhibition, Red Blocks at David Nolan Gallery was described by critic Nancy Princenthal as “...stealthily potent…[defying] intuitive spatial sense in a way that is, like any good puzzle, deeply engrossing” (Art in America, January 2008, p. 120). Kendrick has exhibited widely since his first solo exhibition at Artists’ Space in 1974 and was the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1978, ‘81, and ‘94, and the Academy Award for Art given by the American Academy of Arts & Letters in 2002. Kendrick’s work is in many important public collections, including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; National Gallery of Art, DC; Dallas Museum of Art, Texas; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania; Walker Art Center, Minnesota; and many others. Kendrick lives and works in New York City.