We are collaborative artists and sisters working out of New Mexico and Florida. Our work combines metal and painting to create dynamic wall installations. We work large scale in aluminum and "precious" scale in sterling silver.
Process Description: Whether working large scale in aluminum or small scale in sterling silver, the process is quite similar. Shapes and lines are cut into sheets of metal, after which the metal is bent into an open backed box construction. It is then welded or soldered in corners and hand worked to create unique textures. Seen through the negative space in the metal, mounted from behind, oil on canvas is layered to create impressions that get more intricate the closer the viewer gets. The entire presentation and contrast of metal and painting is striking from a distance, as well as detailed and engaging up close.
Statement: Our work has always been riddled with a balance between dualities and connections, indicative of our relationship as two individuals, artists and sisters. Metal and painting come together as two separate disciplines referencing binaries including hard vs. soft, male vs. female, smooth vs. texture, manmade vs. nature, and 2D vs. 3D. Yet mathematical constructs tie each piece together as a whole.
From a distance the work looks sleek and high contrast with hyper-pigmented painting and shiny metal surfaces, yet up close the viewer is struck by hand sanded intricate patterns softening the metal and textural multilayered paintings inspired by natural surfaces. Multiple panels that shift in depth off the wall reference mathematical equations, but at the same time talk about boundaries and connections, with pattern and colors tying the separate pieces together. Intersecting lines are specific cross products in geometry, yet also represent us as sisters with our paths crossing, or how any seemingly separate entities can come together in space and time.
Migrating from expansive space with large scale works to intimate space, the silver pieces have been an exciting evolution in our collaboration. Although small in size, these works hold as great of a presence as our larger pieces, as well as taking an equal amount of time and energy in the process. Thus proving that for our work and vision, the macro and micro are equalized.
Bio: The collaboration combines the strengths of artists and sisters Ruth Avra, born 1979 in Washington, DC and Dana Kleinman, born 1974 in Massachusetts. Ruth graduated from Wisconsin-Madison with a focus on metal, while Dana was one of the first art majors at Carnegie Mellon to receive Phi Beta Kappa honors and later attained her MFA at New Mexico. Accomplished artists in their own mediums, the collaboration began after personal struggles tightened the bond between them in 2006. With nature and nurture fueling them, this groundbreaking combination of metal and painting first involved large scale aluminum panels combined with oil on canvas. The work was swiftly put into the public eye with an invitation to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Biennale at the National Museum of China, running in conjunction with the Summer Olympics. They have also held solo exhibitions in Florida, New Mexico and New York. Since 2007, their work has been featured in numerous museums and galleries across the United States and abroad. Ruth currently works out of Florida and Dana out of New Mexico.
CV:
Dana and Ruth Kleinman: current CV (both artists were practicing separately prior to collaboration, individual resumes available upon request)
DANA LYNN KLEINMAN :: EDUCATION
2002 University of New Mexico MFA in Painting. Albuquerque, NM.
1997 Carnegie Mellon University BFA in Painting, Drawing, Printmaking with an additional major in interdisciplinary History and Anthropology. Pittsburgh, PA. Phi Beta Kappa, Carnegie Tradition Scholar.
RUTH AVRA KLEINMAN :: EDUCATION
2001 University of Wisconsin BS in Art, Art Metal Concentration.Madison, WI.
1999 Syracuse University, Scholarship Grant, Florence, Italy
SOLO Exhibitions :: KX2
2011 “Vanishing Point”, Dacia Gallery, New York City
2011 Trend Showroom, Miami Beach, FL
2010 “Intersections” Jonathan Abrams MD Gallery. Albuquerque, NM
2009-10 "VECTOR|vector", Causey Contemporary. Brooklyn, NY
2009 "Crescendo", Las Cruces Museum of Art. Las Cruces, NM.
2008 "K x 2 =ART", Richard Shack Gallery, Art Center/South Florida. Miami Beach, FL.
select GROUP Exhibitions :: KX2
2011 “Supersize: Bigger is Better?” AnnMarie Art Center and Sculpture Garden, in association with the Smithsonian Institution, Solomon Island, MD
2011 “18 Days” Munoz Waxman Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2011 “Interact” Kaller Fine Arts, Bethesda, MD
2011 “The Sublime, the Beautiful, and the Picturesque”, SCA Contemporary, Albuquerque, NM
2010 “Miniatures and More”, Albuquerque Museum, New Mexico
2010 “Small Matters of Great Importance”, curated by Clare Bell (director of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation), Edward Hopper House. New York
2010 “Cutting the Canvas” Kaller Fine Arts, Maryland
2010 "Wide Open" BWAC Gallery, New York. curated by Nicholas Baume (NYC Public Art Fund), Ann Strauss (Metropolitan Museum of Art), and Mark Hughes (Galerie Lelong)
2009 "Gen Next IV, Trends in Contemporary Art" Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata, India
2009 "Art of Deception" Lurie-Kavachnina Gallery, Miami
2008-9 Studio B. Hollywood, FL
2008 Rocky Mountain Biennial, Fort Collins Museum of Art, Colorado
2008 Beijing International Art Biennale, National Museum of Art, Beijing, China
2008 Gallery Plan b, Washington DC
2008 23rd Chelsea International Fine Art Exhibition, New York City, curated by Manon Slome
2007 Artformz Gallery. Miami, FL
2007-8 Lurie Gallery. Beverly Hills, CA
Public Collections:: KX2
National Center for Health Statistics, Maryland
TTSS, Maryland
Womack Wealth Management, New Mexico
University of New Mexico Hospital
Jaguar/Land Rover, Bethesda Dealership
New Mexico Arts Commission, Acclaimed Artist Series 2011
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