a m e rican artist
Christina Klein
Painting and Sculpting
Dad’s Favorite Wallpaper
Acrylic on Wood Panel, 182cm x 365cm
There is a sense of nostalgia that comes with rural
living. Stories of the good old days are commonplace,
with a deep sense of longing to make life the same
as it once was. But as time passes and the stories are
told and retold, they themselves get warped and the
memories become fragmented.
The central figure in this painting is my father, who
often tells stories about his childhood. For this painting
I wanted to depict the unraveling of a story and how
those tales change over time.
The top portion of the painting was based on one of
my previous wood installations. I recorded interviews
with my mom, aunt, and grandparents describing an
F5 tornado that struck their home. From there, I used
my idea of what that experience might have felt like
and suspended wood from the ceiling of my studio,
which later became the model for this painting as
well.
Postmortem
Wood Sculpture
365cm x 365 cm x 243
ART
pag e
11
Close examination of the body after death was the idea that launched this project. I
collected wood from shipping crates and construction sites that was discarded after
it’s one time use. New wood was also utilized, though it can be hard to distinguish
between which pieces are new and which have a history because of the short-term
use of the discarded wood. I also implemented window frames from an abandoned
home and installed mirrors on the floor to disorient the viewer. Parts of the sculpture are
suspended with electrical wire from discarded cell phone chargers.