Kyle Beal Electric Park

Name: Kyle Beal Electric Park
Start: 2015-03-14T00:00:00
End: 2015-03-29T00:00:00

Mar 14, 2015 to Mar 28, 2015

February 26, 2015

3:07 PM

"Funtown: Lighted and Blighted Bazaar"

Kyle Beal, "Funtown: Lighted and Blighted Bazaar," charcoal & pastel on paper, 44" x 30", 2015.

With the obvious irony of such a named place becoming a tragic tableau, the new series of work by Kyle Beal are based on found images of Funtown Pier- a New Jersey amusement park destroyed in 2013 by electrical fire after largely surviving Hurricane Sandy.

Kyle Beal, "Funtown: Follow The Tower of Fear"

Kyle Beal, "Funtown: Shocking and Spectacular"

Kyle Beal, "Funtown: Spark & Dark Park"

Along with charcoal drawings, Electric Park is comprised of inkjet prints based on kitschy souvenir postcards and mixed media objects that can best be described as formalist interpretations of the visual language and material aesthetics of the amusement park. The site and the event at Seaside Heights’ Funtown Pier speak to the notion of favouring spectacle and leisure over maintenance and pragmatism, with error, neglect, and decay as passive paths to destruction.

Kyle Beal will also be exhibiting work in Future Station: 2015 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton, AB) which runs from January 24th – May 3rd, 2015.

About the Artist:

Kyle Beal (born in Calgary, Canada 1978) holds a diploma from the Alberta College of Art and Design (2001) and MFA in visual art from the University of Victoria (2004). Beal’s studio-based inquiry uses traditional media (primarily drawing) along with interactive electronic objects to explore ideas related to language, comedy and the space between authentic and affected behavior. He has exhibited throughout Canada including the Glenbow Museum (Calgary, AB) and more recently at the Elora Centre for the Arts (Elora, ON) and ARTsPLACE (Annapolis Royal, NS). His work can be found in a number of private and corporate collections. He has participated in residencies at the Vermont Studio Centre (VT, USA) and the Corbin Union Residency (BC, CA). Upcoming exhibitions include Future Station: 2015 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton, AB), as well as Roulette a solo exhibition at Truck Contemporary Art (Calgary, AB.)