E. is the A. A. is the W.
works by Jeffrey S. Kalstrom
Oct 2 - Oct 31, 2020
A Virtual Exhibition
Artist Statement
I made the work in this exhibit between March 7th, 2020 and September 30,2020.
This time period has been torn by a global pandemic which has cost many their lives and their jobs, the needless killing of George Floyd sparking protest and unrest, endless fires in the West and hurricanes in the South, and a Presidential election that becomes darker by the day.
Horrified by this suffering I gravitated towards work which tries to imagine and visualize an alternative reality, a dream world where the conflicts between people, between humans and animals and between life and death itself are resolved. I need to dream dreams of wholeness in times riven by conflict and hatred. I need to see visions of unity to keep my hopes alive.
I hope my dreams inspire and provide a soothing balm for the heartache we are living through.
E. is the A., A. is the W.
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Endless Blue
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Infinite Rose
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Purple Vision
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Vinland #1
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Vinland #2
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Vinland #3
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Sun Stone
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Voyager
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Blue Look
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Blue Voyage (Owlvis)
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
Blood Voyage
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
White Voyage
48 x 31
mixed media
2020
About the Artist
Jeffrey S. Kalstrom is exhibiting a new series of works this fall at the Nordic Center. The works on exhibit are large scale mixed media wall panels combining mythic imagery and symbolic shapes in optically dazzling patterns.
Jeffrey S. Kalstrom is an artist and educator who has lived in Duluth for over 25 years. He received his BFA at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and his MFA at the University of Southern California, Los Angles. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
Kalstrom’s current work operates on two levels, one being mythic figurative imagery, the other colorful optical patterns. He playfully investigates myths and religious imagery from Pre-Historic, Scandinavian, Greek and other Mediterranean cultures primarily in black and white printed patterns. He then adds color and abstract symbolic shapes creating complex optical patterns. The meaning(s) embodied by the works are best described as wonderment at the beauty of the physical world and the richness of human myth-making.