Laura Kimpton, XOXO. Photo by Jeff Song.
On View from March 30, 2018 to December 7, 2018
Kimpton is best known for her monumental word sculptures, which she has been bringing to Burning Man since 2009. Kimpton often covers these works with laser-cut birds, a motif she uses to represent freedom from the weight of our words and thoughts. In addition to conveying this universal message, the sculptures have an intimate dimension for Kimpton, who confronts personal issues in her work ranging from her severe dyslexia to the death of her father, the hotelier Bill Kimpton, in 2002. The artist’s works have earned her six Burning Man Honorarium Grants, solo exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and commissions and permanent installations in cities around the world.
Artist Laura Kimpton works primarily in painting, mixed-media installation, and sculpture. She received a B.A. in Art Education from the University of Iowa in 1986, a B.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1989, and a M.A. in Psychology from the University of San Francisco in 1994. In her work, Kimpton draws from this multifaceted background to question traditional views on social interaction and search for revelatory forms of communication.
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man brings the large-scale, participatory work from this desert gathering to the nation’s capital for the first time. The exhibition takes over the entire Renwick Gallery building and surrounding Golden Triangle neighborhood, bringing alive the maker culture and creative spirit of this cultural movement.