Kevin Driscoll’s ‘A Monument to Contemporary Architecture’ calls attention to the cheap, almost ephemeral material quality of today’s architecture. The sculpture features thin columns that stand as frail descendants of the once strong and ornate stone columns of the past. As a memorial, it diverges from the expected overbearing weight and presence typically associated with such structures, yet it carries a significant presence in its own unique way.

A monument for contemporary architecture

The artist questions the current state of architectural longevity with a lopsided concrete building block that emphasizes its public facing side.

Frontend Development

As part of a larger exhibition, ‘Exhibitionism’ sheds light on the paradoxes inherent in an artists career. Private creations yearn for public display, inviting strangers to reflect, share their thoughts and spark discussion. 

Here, the work confronts the contradictions that define artistic expression—a space where intimate dialogues transform into public showcases. As the digital world encourages and at times demands the artists show their space, show their process, post their work online and always be creating, 'Off the wall for you to see' gives in to all the requests. 

The silicone mold of the artist's studio wall presents the viewer with not only the remnants of past work in the form of colors and materials ripped from the wall, but also a literal mold of the artist's work space, leaving nothing to the imagination. 

Off the wall for you to see

Both-And is the result or proposed trajectory of an architectural discourse translated into a physical object.

  
It was inspired by Robert Venturi and his idea of “both-and'' rather than “either-or” a concept that welcomed complexity and contradiction. A reaction against modernism and its dedication to purity, focusing on one problem and solving it, ignoring any additional elements that may confuse the richness of form. 

  
Postmodernism, as a natural reaction, looks to solve multiple problems, arguing for a richness of meaning, breading ambiguity and tension.

  
As a testament to our contemporary culture, Both-And is multifunctional. And like many 5-in-1 products, it promises to multitask, but manages to underperform in every role it attempts.

Both-and

Constructed from everyday materials and objects, they reflect the familiar yet, upon closer inspection, reveal the absurdities embedded in what society considers "normal." 

There is an inherent humor in this strangeness—moments where the logic of the ordinary unravels into something almost surreal. In this way, Driscoll imagines his works as if assembled by a future civilization, piecing together remnants of the present in an attempt to decipher what once was and why.

Artefact 004

‘Temporary Wall’ is an artwork constructed using the exact techniques typically employed for building a simple partition wall in an apartment building. The sculpture utilizes the same, inexpensive materials often found in dumpsters outside of apartment renovations.

Temporary Wall

Rather than striving for a preconceived ideal, here, the unpredictable nature of the materials and techniques are embraced to create compositions that are shaped by a process rather than an artist's hand.

First Impressions

Diving into my architectural past, I built a large format drafting board and straight edge to pull straight lines and create an architectural drawing

Pulling from my past

The painting is built up with layers, giving the work substance full of experience and mistakes. Those layers are then torn away, revealing its history as the search for the final composition continues. Old mistakes reveal themselves as new moments. These moments are the scars that shape its final composition.

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Kevin Driscoll