GEOFFREY KRAWCZYK

(AMERICAN, BORN 1978)

Recess, 2014
brick, concrete, stone, wood
dimensions variable
Laumeier Sculpture Park Commission, gift of the artist

Geoffrey Krawczyk’s site-specific installation Recess, 2014, is an interactive space that refers to the decline of the Cahokian culture and the contemporary decay of urban areas in St. Louis. Commissioned for Laumeier’s exhibition Mound City, the room-sized chamber is made from a mixture of new and donated reclaimed red brick from architectural ruins of North St. Louis. The engravings on a number of the bricks are from individuals in the community explaining their thoughts and ideas on the challenges facing St. Louis. The remnants of modern economic and social policy echo the decay of Cahokia 750 years ago. These parallels are drawn through the construction of a deteriorated building; its presence is meant to foster a discussion about adaptation, governance and progress. By combining symbols of the two historical situations with the voice of the contemporary community, Krawczyk hopes to create a “meta-site” that encompasses not only the physical, but also the psychological, marks left behind by societal change.

Laumeier thanks the following for their time and expertise in building Recess: Cement Masons Local 527 Joint Apprenticeship, Iron Workers Local 396 Joint Apprenticeship, Carpenter's District Council Greater St. Louis & Vicinity, Bricklayer's Local #1 St. Louis Job Corp, The International Masonry Institute, Operating Engineers Local 513 Joint Apprenticeship, Fabick Cat, Rebar Specialist and St. Louis County Parks.

Sculpture Interaction Guideline: Touch, But Do Not Climb

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Geoffrey Krawczyk’s performances, drawings and paintings explore the mythology of spirituality, the politics of aesthetics and the connections between the sacred and the profane. Krawczyk uses ritual as both metaphor and material, at times incorporating the acts of cooking and eating to promote dialogue between disparate groups, methods and events. His practice centers on reinterpreting notions of collective experience. Born in Oklahoma City in 1978, Krawczyk received his B.F.A in Painting and Printmaking from the University of Oklahoma in 2006 and his M.F.A. in Visual Studies from SUNY-Buffalo in 2010. He currently lives and works in New York. Krawczyk has exhibited nationally and internationally with past exhibitions and performances at Vault Gallery, Buffalo; AKA Gallery, Oklahoma City; The Box, New York City; Hardesty Art Center, Tulsa; and Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, Toronto. His work is represented in private collections in Fonsesca, Mexico; Berlin; London; Atlanta and Missoula, Montana.