Eggplants, Bananas and Identity

Artist Frida Kahlo once famously declared, “I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.”

The exploration of identity through creative expression remains a captivating theme in today’s arts world, wherein identities are constantly being reshaped and redefined. One gallery that has consistently championed identity-focused work is Santa Fe’s Kouri + Corrao.

“All the artists we work with work with their own identities,” Director Takeo Royer explains. “That’s kind of the way that we found the program to have organically built itself. What I love about the artists we work with is that they are reflecting through their work the world that they want to live in, inhabit and see change in. Our job, then, is to support that vision.”

Kouri + Corrao currently represents 14 artists across a mix of local, national and international artists working in a variety of mediums, from textiles and ceramics to paper, paintings and points between. The gallery team is small, too, but effective; nimble, perhaps. As such, the name of the game has been solo shows for emerging or mid-career artists meticulously plotted out, sometimes even over years, before an exhibition. Gallery personnel support the artists during every step of that process, Royer says. And it is because of the lithe management scope that he and his fellow gallerists have been able to maintain a personal touch in the sometimes impersonal and commercially-driven gallery world.

“I have my hand in almost every single aspect of operations from curating shows to helping nourish talent. We work very closely with our artists,” Royer says. “We’re an incredibly lean team—Justin Kouri, Michael Corrao and myself. It’s the three of us.”

This week, Kouri + Corrao closes the ceramic sculpture exhibit Current from Korean-born/Canada-based sculptor Joon Hee Kim—the artist’s inaugural solo exhibition in the United States. Next up? New Zealand-based sculptor Oliver Cain.

In the upcoming exhibition Anything On Offer, Cain showcases thought-provoking works that challenge societal perceptions of gender, sexuality and identity. With a playful yet profound approach, Cain’s creations seamlessly blend elements of pop culture with historical art references, thereby inviting viewers to examine how the artist twists and manipulates his sources. With influences ranging from Duchamp and Warhol to Mapplethorpe and Tom of Finland, Cain’s provocative voice will be at full volume for the show across 14 sculptures and an installation featuring a gloryhole and a toilet “epically overflowing with polystyrene bananas,” according to an artist’s statement.

“He uses a lot of pop symbols, like eggplants and bananas,” Royer notes. “The work we will show is more installation-based than anything we’ve ever done. It’s fun work. It’s cheeky work. And I’m proud to be able to bring it to new demographics.”

Outside of the more immediate imagery, Cain says it’s important to search for subtext.

“As a member of the queer community, I use this to examine, question and criticize the relationships between gender, sexuality and societies’ misconceptions about those themes,” Cain says. “But, despite what it might look like to the contemporary spectator, a purely erotic and queer reading of my work would be misguided.”

Royer agrees.

“I think good artwork always says something,” he says. “That is something that has been consistent with all the work we show. It’s also what attracts us to new artists. Their point of view, point of reference. It’s something that is at the core of what we represent.”

Take textile ceramicist Raven Halfmoon, whom Kouri + Corrao currently reps. With support from the gallery, she can sculpt however she sees fit, while maintaining her own sense of ownership and messaging.

“As a young Indigenous woman, she carries all this traditional and ancestral knowledge. It’s important for her to bring that into our contemporary times, into a globalized world as a millennial and as a part of a community who is still very much alive,” Royer says. “In her work particularly, you can see both the traditional technique of old Caddo knowledge—she’s from the Caddo Nation in Oklahoma—and her very, very modern symbols taking references from TikTok, fashion and culture.”

Royer’s regard for Cain and Halfmoon—not to mention numerous others, such as textile artist Karen Hampton, painter Amanda Banker and photographer Apolo Gomez—encapsulates how Kouri + Corrao’s approach extends beyond merely exhibiting the art of singular creators; it encompasses a comprehensive system that puts a premium on nurturing artistic vision.

“We spend a lot of time writing grants and applications on artists’ behalf, and we’ve been successful there,” Royer explains. “It allows artists to focus on the work if they’re supported, financially or otherwise.”

And in so doing, the gallery ensures its artists can focus on what they do best.

“We always tell our artists that’s what we’re here for,” Royer adds. “Support.”

By way of a happy side effect, Kouri + Corrao has been able to transmute that commitment to support into meaningful connections with collectors and patrons. Art, after all, is work, and artists must be paid.

“People buy from people they like,” Royer observes. “And so, like the relationships we build with our artists, we want to do the same thing with our collectors.”

Many of those buyers, Royer says, err on the younger side. In that aspect, Kouri + Corrao can help to create a vibrant community that grows alongside the artists it represents.

Oliver Cain: Anything On Offer Opening Reception: 5-7 pm Friday, May 10. Free. Kouri + Corrao, 3213 Calle Marie, (505) 820-1888