We hope you’ll join us on Thursday, July 20th, as Kiosk Gallery presents Return of the River, a solo
exhibition of aluminum and plaster sculptures by Levi Walker, curated by SK Reed for Beco Gallery.
Curatorial Statement by SK Reed
Levi Walker’s solo exhibition, Return of the River at Kiosk Gallery, speaks to a broader sense of time seen in the constant flux of our environments and the stories passed down from one generation to the next. Walker creates aluminum and plaster castings of the landscape, capturing easily overlooked moments in the dirt, cattle tracks in a drought-ridden pond, or a path made by returned foot traffic. These tablet-like forms become records of the Earth’s surface and those passing through. Walker writes into these surfaces while the metal is hot: reflections on a landscape, a poem in his mind that morning, or a story shared from his father and grandfather, each with a unique relationship to place.
The exhibition title is borrowed from a Richard Brautigan poem, inspiring the first piece Walker made in this body of work. The poem details the cycle of waterways—water which travels great distances yet inevitably returns back to the rivers and oceans. The poem points to the similarities of our bodies and the temporality of our lives on the planet. Cycles of time and relationships to place carry throughout the exhibition. The piece, Ozark Rain, references summers spent on his grandfather’s farm in Southern Missouri, his hopes for rain in order to grow hay, and Walker’s admiration for the beauty in the mountainous landscape—different from the Kansas City terrain where he lives.
Not only do the works document a shifting landscape, but they bridge family histories. Stories based in place help connect Walker to a larger timescale. Tobacco Fields is inspired by his father, son of sharecroppers and a member of the Lumbee tribe, growing up as a young boy picking tobacco. While these stories inspire the work, they are not obvious—a fact which feels important. Silver text sits on the same aluminum background, intriguing the reader with hidden stories which may or may not be unearthed. As time continues, what else is lost? Walker shares how quickly he must write the words into the molten metal. He even shared how one piece, Vall(e)y Fall, was misspelled in the rush. The urgency of the material feels important, as the metal will only be hot, and the plaster will only stay wet for so long.
On the location of the exhibition, Kiosk Gallery sits inside the Livestock Exchange Building in the Stockyards district. The Stockyards opened in 1871, a central location where cattle, hogs, sheep, and horses could be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Many of these auctions took place just outside the gallery’s current location. The Historical Marker Database describes the extent of the livestock business: “At one time 16 railroads converged in the ‘West Bottoms’, with unloading tracks and platforms capacity to receive 300 carloads of cattle per day.” Walker’s piece, Cattle Tracks, details the inverted hooves of these animals in plaster, bringing a strange sense of what used to be back into the space.
After the Great Flood of 1951 the Stockyards never recovered, changing the function of the building and surrounding area. The end of the Stockyards as a livestock exchange draws an interesting connection to Walker’s work, the unpredictability of change, and yet its enduring consistency. Brautigan’s words point to the beauty of the now, the hope that comes with spring rain, and still each drop that falls will eventually return to the river. Walker realizes this impossible dilemma, the importance of recording the intricacies of the earth and its people, yet the limitations of time. Despite all the prep work before he begins to pour, there is only so much time to write before the aluminum stiffens.
The Return of the Rivers by Richard Brautigan
All the rivers run into the sea;
yet the sea is not full;
unto the place from whence the rivers come,
thither they return again.
It is raining today
in the mountains.
It is a warm green rain
with love
in its pockets
for spring is here,
and does not dream
of death.
Birds happen music
like clocks ticking heaves
in a land
where children love spiders,
and let them sleep
in their hair.
A slow rain sizzles
on the river
like a pan
full of frying flowers,
and with each drop
of rain
the ocean
begins again.
www.brautigan.net/rivers.html
Artist Statement
Temporal elements found in community and culture continue to change on a timeline that is slower and less recorded than our own lives, like the change of a river’s direction or the erosion of a coast. My works reference the colloquial language of roads, trails, and paths that are formed by our collective movement. Almost invisible, these elements of society and culture are always in flux as they form and disappear with changing needs, but continue to be passed down from one generation to the next. As evidence of collective decisions, it is vital that these moments in time are recorded and represented. The cultural knowledge that is found in language and space is fleeting and will someday be lost, without any memory or record of its existence.
My work is focused on capturing these languages and paths through the direct translations of casting trails and writing. While working in the foundry I cast metal onto loose silica sand, and using a steel rod I write in the sand while the metal is still molten and liquid. Working with metal in this way I am able to capture the immediacy of my mark making and still maintain its permanence. These works often reflect stories and words tied to events that have influenced those around me, like my father picking tobacco as a child, and what it meant to be Native American in North Carolina.
Artist Bio
Levi Walker (he/him) is a visual artist from Kansas City who has specialized in metal casting. His most recent body of work involves text-based metal casting using a unique technique of writing in the molten metal to capture his cursive writing. His work explores the temporal elements found in community and culture that continue to change on a timeline that is slower and less recorded than our own lives. Levi has exhibited at Vulpes Bastille, Site:2 and the Kansas City Public Library. He has received his undergraduate degree from Kansas City Art Institute. He currently works from his home studio in Independence, Missouri.
www.leviawalker.com
Curator Bio
SK Reed (they/them) is an artist and curator based in Kansas City, Kansas. Reed received a BSE in Arts Education and BFA in Painting from The University of Central Missouri in 2014 and an MA from Eastern Illinois University in 2020. They have continued their education, taking courses with NYC Crit Club, New York Studio School, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Last May, they completed their MFA in Painting & Drawing from The University of Kansas.
Currently, they curate for Beco Gallery, an artist-run gallery formerly located in a flower shop. In April 2023 Beco lost the physical gallery space. Beco now exists nomadically, partnering with other venues to host exhibitions. Beco’s mission is to support local, emerging, and underrepresented artists. Reed began curating in 2019, their first exhibitions at Vulpes Bastille in Kansas City and AUTOMAT in Philadelphia. They have curated shows with Beco since May 2022, including Before My Eyes, a three-person exhibition at MdW Assembly at Mana Contemporary in Chicago. Additionally, they are a co-founder of Peer2Peer (P2P), a curatorial group of five artists located throughout the US and Canada.
www.sk-reed.com
Artist’s Reception:
Thursday, July 20th, 2023, 6-9 pm
Open Hours:
Saturdays 12-4 pm, and by appointment
Show runs through September 7th
Holiday Closures:
Saturday, September 2nd
KIOSK 