In his subtle, confounding sculptures and installations, Zak Kitnick complicates the work of art, and its connection to everyday life, by drawing attention to the porousness of the boundaries between fine art, décor, and utility. Using industrial and commercial materials—like metal shelving, plywood, and posters—and borrowing from Minimalism and Conceptualism, he crafts spare, geometric forms that read, simultaneously, as utilitarian and art objects, architectural and design components, and charts of esoteric information. As he explains: “A lot of my work has to do with drawing attention to the easy to use and easy to ignore objects that structure our daily existence.” Kitnick is particularly fascinated by organizational systems, which shape our surroundings and understanding of life. The Bagua, a Chinese cosmological grid representing reality and serving as the organizing structure of feng shui, figures prominently in his work.
A notable show was Between Spaces at MoMA PS1 in New York City in 2009. Other notable shows were at Mary Boone Gallery in New York City and Artist Space in New York City.
Public collections
The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, USA
MAMCO, Geneva, CH
Collezione Giancarlo e Danna Olgiati, Lugano, CH
RISD Museum, Providence, USA
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, USA