Karla Black: 20 Years at the Des Moines Art Center will be the artist’s first major solo museum exhibition to include both site-specific works and a representative selection of sculptures made over the course of her career.
Utilizing large pieces of inexpensive paper, powdered forms of paint and plaster, glitter and cellophane, hand-sanitizing gel, bath bombs, liquid foundation, eye shadow and lipstick, her materials are ordinary. What results are sculptural forms that are large, unsubstantial, and a bit clumsy—they tip and buckle and regularly shed their powder patina. These unconventional materials and formal elements are chosen and made use of by the artist to allow her to investigate play, tactility, and creative expression. Using notions of play results in Black’s ability “to differently engage the viewer,” writes art historian Elyse Speaks, and sets up the work “as a series of possibilities.”