Konstantin Kakanias
GAVLAK Palm Beach is pleased to announce a two-person exhibition with Jake Clark and Konstantin Kakanias. The exhibition showcases the vibrant and whimsical works of both artists, highlighting their distinct styles and perspectives. Each artist draws inspiration from the world around them and uses their work to capture the current moment through reinterpretations of signs, product branding, and logos. Their pieces are accessible and immediately recognizable offering a unique perspective on contemporary culture and icons. The exhibition will be on view from December 17, 2022, to January 7, 2023, and the opening reception will be on Saturday, December 17 from 5-7 pm.
Jake Clark's ceramic vessels and sculptures are loaded with iconography and color, offering homages to beloved food establishments, sports teams, hotels, and more. His vibrant and animated style captures the essence of these institutions, creating memorabilia that conveys their grandeur. For this exhibition, Clark has created ten new vessels that reference Palm Beach classics, such as Green’s Pharmacy and The Colony Hotel. In addition, Clark will also be exhibiting three new ceramic ashtrays. Delicately made model pools and tennis courts are surrounded by planters and iconic palm trees local to the area. These scenes of paradise are littered with clay cigarette butts and ash, playing into his eccentric style and form. Using a deliberately handmade form and folk art-like quality, Jake Clark’s brightly colored vessels and ashtrays incorporate the symbols and slickness of commodity culture and consumer branding.
Konstantin Kakanias' gouache works on paper offer a humorous and critical perspective on the contemporary culture of art, design, travel, and luxury, with a focus on fashion and the "jet-setting" lifestyle. Kakanias' bright color palette and playful brushwork create a world of opulence and excess. He explores this world through his signature character, Mrs. Tependris, who serves as a lens, inviting the viewer to experience and analyze these rich worlds through her. Kakanias’ attention to detail in his architectural drawings and his various personifications around celebrity and fashion culture reveal Kakanias as a keen observer and sharp satirist of our times.
The exhibition offers a bridge between the glossy ceramics of Clark and the popping paper works of Kakanias. While the materials and styles of the two artists differ, their work overlaps in its playful and witty approach. Their use of historical and pop cultural references, combined with their bold and colorful styles, come together to create an engaging and visually stimulating show. Highlighting their shared interests, while also enhancing the individual characteristics of each artist's practice.
With this exhibition, GAVLAK presents a celebration of the unique visions of both artists, and a chance to see their work together in one space. Jake Clark and Konstantin Kakanias both offer a unique perspective on contemporary culture and the way we interact with the world around us.
Konstantin Kakanias (b. 1961, Athens, Greece) lives and works in Los Angeles. Kakanias studied fashion design at Studio Bercot in Paris. The artist has created illustrations for further publications including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview, Los Angeles Times, among others. He has collaborated with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, Christian Louboutin, Christian Dior, Libertine, Co, Swarovski, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., and Barney’s New York. Kakanias has published various publications of his own, including Mrs. Tependris...Just Before the Olympic Games (Secretary for the Olympic Games of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, 2004), Mrs. Tependris: the Contemporary Years (Rizzoli, 2002), and Freedom or Death (Jane Stubbs, 1997). He has also collaborated on publications including, Frederic Malle: On Perfume Making (Angelika Books, 2012), The Bergdorf Goodman Cookbook (Laura Silverman, 2015), and Be the Wonder Woman You Can Be (DC Comics, 2008), created with Diane Von Furstenberg and including an essay by Gloria Steinem. Kakanias has exhibited at Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York; Rebecca Camhi, Athens; Jennifer Flay, Paris; Galerie Art and Public, Geneva; Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens; The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; Benaki Museum, Athens; UC Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley; Art Basel, Switzerland; and The Armory Show, New York, among others.
Jake Clark (b. 1985, Melbourne) is a ceramic artist based in Melbourne, Australia. He studied Horticulture at the Holmesglen Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He is a self-taught artist and ceramicist inspired by his grandparent’s collection of pots and sculptures. Clark’s interest in art began at a young age, igniting a creative journey that would eventually turn into a full-fledged career. An early obsession with drawing ultimately led him to swap pencils for spray paint as a teenager, and adopt graffiti as his preferred medium; citing Keith Haring’s subway art as a major source of inspiration from when he was a child. After discovering the late artist’s large urns and ceramic pots – motivated by Haring’s ability to use almost anything as his canvas – Clark’s interests continued to evolve as he began working with clay in high school. Falling in love with the material due to its flexibility and potential to create 3-dimensional works, his focus transitioned to sculpture and painting. Furthermore, his obsession with iconography coupled with a degree in horticulture created the secret sauce that defines his trademark artistic style today. Clark’s inspiration comes from everyday visuals and the places he interacts with, whether it be hotels, the supermarket, a local health food shop, restaurant menus, street signs or advertisements.