Glowlab Announces Utopia Parkway, a Solo Exhibition by Artist David Kesting

Glowlab is pleased to present Utopia Parkway, a solo exhibition of new work by David Kesting. The artist presents his eagerly-awaited new body of mixed-media work at Glowlab with a residency beginning April 7th and leading up to reception for the public on Thursday the 16th. Utopia Parkway includes a limited edition, signed book and a unique fashion line to complement over 100 small illustrations on paper and larger mixed-media forays into the poignant and absurd.

During his residency, Kesting will create site-specific works in the gallery, partially in collaboration with other artists. The gallery will be open to the public during normal hours throughout the residency as characters come to life in wall drawings and an assemblage of work in multiple media.

Utopia Parkway features Kesting’s humorous cast of characters who, while animated by minimal linework, manage to achieve maximum expression. People depicted are at various times charming, industrious, sneaky or dejected, yet ambitiously attempt to live an honest life in a difficult world. Ranging from tiny to gigantic, Kesting’s characters – often drawn on found paper such as menus, flyers and printed postcards – create an interactive environment in the gallery as they communicate with each other. Tiny illustrations of urban farmers, city shoppers and dog walkers mingle with large-format paintings of drunken angels and businessmen on tricycles in Kesting’s trademark style.

Accompanying these artworks will be the release of Utopia Parkway, a 66-page illustrated book of drawings from the artist’s collection. The book’s first edition will be limited to 40 copies, each signed and numbered by the artist. Utopia Parkway – which features sections including “Family Life,” “Burning Things,” “At Work,” and “Out Drinking” – depicts Kesting’s hopeful characters in their everyday settings. Kesting’s illustrations feel playful, like those in a children’s book, but ultimately resonate with the tensions of human relationships and alienation felt deeply by adults. On one page, the reader witnesses a naked everyman cooking on a stove, and captioned beneath him the character mutters “The best part about Sunday brunch at home is getting to play naked chef,” conveying the wonder of simple pleasures in a hectic life.

Carefully chosen works from the book have been silk-screened onto items of vintage clothing as part of the installation. “I want everyone to be able to enjoy these illustrations – which are based on life in the city – not only in the traditional art-hanging-on-the-wall sort of way, but also physically, by taking the characters back onto the streets” explains Kesting.

David Kesting (b. 1974, Jacksonville) is Brooklyn-based artist whose work has been exhibited in New York, Miami, and Chicago, and is included in many private collections. He is also a gallerist, co-founding both the Leo Kesting Gallery and Capla Kesting Fine Art. He launched the art fair, Fountain, with several other Williamsburg galleries in 2006.

Glowlab is an innovative art gallery and creative catalyst located in New York, collaborating with and presenting the work of artists exploring the convergence of art, technology and the urban environment.