audra kohout - visitation

the gallery will be open during regular business hours (Tu - Su, 12pm - 6pm). social distancing and masks are required for those who have yet to complete their covid-19 vaccinations.

Virtual first wednesday opening reception: august 4th at 6:30pm

There is whimsy, poetry, innocence and fantasy within Kohout’s boxes. The assemblages are balanced, wildly creative, and always compelling. Upon first glance, all seems innocent enough - pixies, dolls, animals, fairies and figurines interact within each of their own small theaters, the characters playing out elements of the human psyche. In some of the assemblages though, the milieu appears to be drawn from the Industrial Revolution era.

“The fundamental element to my process is the gathering of elements for my work. I often call this “the art of collecting” which is the jumping off point for all of what I make. I source material from so many different places, antique stores, roadside flea markets, and the like, and am also often gifted objects by friends who know the kinds of things that inspire me creatively. I’m drawn to objects that have a history, the more unusual the better! I think there is such magic in objects that have been around a while, that have been used and loved, and that retain some of that human energy and intention that is left over after years of use and purpose. Very rarely will the objects remain intact, whether a clock or lamp, doll or sewing chest, they are often disassembled and used in-part in many different works. Sometimes I hold onto items for years, as I await the right moment when I am called by that item to integrate into its new and forever home in my work. People may laugh when they visit my studio, because everywhere you look there are bins and boxes full of doll parts, bobbles, bits and pieces of antique this or that, oddities and curiosities of such a wide variety and in a scale that it seems to be more than anyone could keep up with. However, I know all of the pieces intimately, and have dreams for each of where and how they may be reclaimed and made anew.

Visitation, with work spanning the last decade and beyond, is intended to stand as a retrospective of sorts. This show displays the range of the work, of my influences, and the artistic journey that I’ve been on in this time. It is prelude to a new body of work that will debut at my New Orleans gallery in Spring of 2022 and is a survey of my creative impulses as a woman, a mother, a wife, and a maker of things. This work is intensely personal, despite being constructed with objects that have a history, often infused in them by people I will never know. This is the funny little paradox of my work.” - Kohout

Audra Kohout has established a large number of collectors throughout the United States. The artist has been awarded numerous grants from the Louisiana Division of the Arts as well as other major foundations. The Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans presented The Ghost of Cornell, where many of Kohout’s box assemblages were exhibited with the works of Joseph Cornell. She was chosen for the Texas National exhibition in Austin, and continues to be invited to present her work in exhibitions throughout the country. Kohout lives and works in New Orleans.

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from Anita Cooke, Hye Yeon Nam, & Thomas Neff. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during normal gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) from August 3-26, 2021.