August 30–November 3, 2023
FLXST Contemporary
2251 South Michigan Avenue Suite 220
Chicago, IL 60616
Email: info@flxst.com
Phone: 773-800-1470 or 773-413-8030
FLXST Contemporary is thrilled to announce the launch of the virtual component of the solo show “Golden Hour—an Appraisal” by the Chicago-based queer artist Laura Kina, live now on ARTSY
❝ Looking through the artist’s archive for the show felt very intense,” the gallery director Jan Christian Bernabe states, “It felt like falling into the histories of the artist’s ancestors as well as Kina’s personal history in Chicago. These intersecting historical narratives, I hope, will bring to light how the every day can connect to larger historical forces.”
The curated work in “Golden Hour” spans the years from 2009 to 2023 and captures Kina working with textiles and fibers and, of course, painting. The narrative thread that weaves through each is Kina’s focus on the every day, whether observed or imagined. In her paintings, Kina chooses the language of figuration to elevate the stories and histories, a technique influenced by her MFA advisor Kerry James Marshall while an MFA student at UIC.
The work in “Golden Hour” showcases an artistic trajectory premised on self-discovery. During the pandemic years, Kina was diagnosed and treated successfully for breast cancer; and coupled perhaps with the isolation that the pandemic imposed on all of us, Kina also came to terms with her queer identity. Her most recent show in Riverside, IL, “Over the Rainbow, Once More Time” frames the tumultuous pandemic year, surviving breast cancer, and coming out.
We are humbled to present “Golden Hour—an Appraisal.” Many of the works from the solo shows during this period have been acquired by museums, in private collections, or have never been offered on the art market.
Opening in the C-Suite will be a selection of the artwork in “Golden Hour”. Mark your calendars: September 23rd, 4-7pm
Laura Kina is a queer mixed-race Okinawan American visual artist based in Chicago. Kina describes her studio practice as traveling time with her diverse communities to remember the past, critically reflect on the present, and dream the future. Her paintings, drawings, and textile work draw inspiration from her personal and ancestral narratives.
