The Gallery at Marmara - Manhattan is pleased to announce its summer exhibition, Sun Divers, works by Michael Kuch.
Kuch uses archetypal symbols from the natural world, as well as biblical and mythological narratives to plumb the depths of the human condition. Working in diverse media, including monotype, etchings, lithographs, ink and watercolor drawings, oil paintings and bronze sculptures, Sun Divers is a compilation of various series from Kuch's imagination. Kuch has gained particular acclaim for his Double Elephant Press. His limited edition books of etchings are housed in the collections of the Library of Congress, Yale University, Colombia University, the British Library, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Etchings and related material from three books, Amour and Armor, Lemons Descending, and Falling to Earth are represented in the exhibition. From the 1996 publication, Amour and Armor, human figures are juxtaposed with seashells to represent human defenses. Bronze bas-reliefs of nudes wearing crab-shell armor demonstrate the sharper side of self-protection. Lemons Descending of 2001, was a musical collaboration with cellist Matt Haimovitz and composer Luna Woolf. Kuch illustrated poems previously set to music by various composers.
A folding screen in the show holds large watercolors of an anthropomorphic fly, bee, and humming bird produced as a backdrop for a musical performance of three Emily Dickinson poems. Falling to Earth from 2002 was Kuch's reaction to the terrifying and tragic collapse of the World Trade Center Towers and the United States subsequent bombing campaign. Large preparatory watercolors for the book of etchings and poems will be on display. A six by three feet vibrantly hued monotype of Pegasus seems to embrace Kuch's diverse themes as it dives from the sun.
Michael Kuch grew up in Northern Vermont. He began drawing in Pen and Ink at the age of eleven and the following year had a one-person show at a local museum. He remained self-taught until he came under the wing of Leonard Baskin at Hampshire College.
His extensive exhibition record includes most prominent places like R.Michelson Galleries, B.Beamesderfer Gallery, Marlen Gallery and Discovery Museum. Kuch currently divides his time between his apartment in Manhattan and his studio in Northampton, Massachusetts.
