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Kristen Kaas | Refuge

Corridor Gallery | February 17 - April 2022



Kristen Kaas weaves natural and synthetic fibers to create unique contemporary wall hangings, wearable accessories, and fiber sculptures. Her three-dimensional structures in crisp white and subtle shimmer contrast against bold darks and lines of black.  Within pockets woven from cotton, linen, and silk are secrets to be discovered. Milkweed floss, eggshells, and concord grapes are concealed behind cloth, yet simultaneously revealed between the threads. Kaas asks: what pieces of ourselves do we choose to expose? What elements of our identities do we hold close, keeping hidden from our public personas? With filters and poses, we consume and share unrealistic curated images of ourselves and each other. In turn, we shelter our true realities from one another.


This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant
from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation
from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
 


Image Credit: Kristen Kaas, “Emanate,” linen, silk, paper, polyethyline, 2021

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Kristen Kaas earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities followed by an AAS degree in apparel design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She lives and works in Duluth, Minnesota, where she has continued her weaving study and practice. In early 2020, Kaas received an Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Individual Artist Project Grant that made this exhibition possible.









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