Kent Christensen
The Trouble with Sweets
7th May to 6th June 2009

Kent Christensen’s oil paintings of sweets and other culinary delights investigate cultural and personal associations with food, as well as the tradition of still-life painting. Christensen was born to a Mormon family that adhered to strict prohibitions against such vices as smoking and drinking. In their place, Mormons often indulge in sugar – an indulgence so zealous that the artist argues that sugar is “Mormon heroin”. In Christensen’s hands, the humble candy becomes a means to embrace and critique American society. ‘Everyone has such a personal, intense and specific connection with this kind of non-essential “comfort food”’, he says, that ‘it provides the perfect vehicle for talking about human psychology and culture.’

His second exhibition at Eleven marks a crucial turn in Christensen’s practice. The artist has left behind the small size of his previous series to execute larger works, more directly tackling American culture. Food is used as an icon for the American way of life. This is furthered by Christensen’s inclusion of his sweets within seminal American landscapes. ‘This new direction started with the simple inclusion of a horizon line in some 2008 works’ recalls the artist. This simple line became a full-blown landscape where oversized ice cream cones, milkshakes and candy become absurd, surreal objects. In the distant background of these new works, the skylines of New York and Los Angeles emerge, both anchoring these paintings within the American territory and echoing the way medieval cities were depicted in religious altarpieces. Christensen playfully satirises modern life, where indulgence is the new god.

Art history has always been a main reference in Christensen’s work. His Green Jell-O (2006) deftly combined the minimalism of a Donald Judd with rich painterly textures reminiscent of Flemish still life paintings. In this new series of works, Christensen accumulates references to Magritte and Warhol as well as the large painted billboards that punctuate the huge American networks of roads and motorways. ‘I have thought of these pieces as a kind of picture-postcard of America on steroids’ says the artist. With both humour and affection, the artist uses sweets as a device to picture a country enmeshed in its own contradictions.

Kent Christensen’s previous solo shows include SUGAR, Kimball Art Center, Park City, Utah, 2008, HIGH(calorie)ART, Sundance, Utah, 2006, HIGH(calorie)ART, Alta Club, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2006 and One Man Exhibit, McKay Library Gallery, Libby Gardner Hall, University of Utah, 2004. Past group shows include SaltGrass @ Sundance, Sundance, Utah, 2008, Print Parallels, CityScape Gallery, Vancouver, B.C, Canada, 2008, SaltGrass Printmakers, Members & Friends, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2008, The Print’s in the Paper and Constructive Novels, Dixie State College of Utah, St. George, Utah, 2006 and 300 Plates, Fourth Annual Art Access Fundraiser and Exhibit, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2006.

For more images, please see the artist's section.