Kevin William Reed, "Headspace" at Alcove Gallery

Review by Raymond Miller


The walls of Pratt Institute’s Student Affairs Office have a new function. They have become the support for the new Alcove Gallery. This is the now third addition to a group of student exhibition spaces.
Headspace, by Kevin William Reed is the title of the inaugurating show in this space. Currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Printmaking at Pratt, Reed has mounted a show of new prints and paintings. These pieces by Reed mark a new phase in his fine art career.

Initially Reed received his undergraduate education at University of Maryland. It was here that he was introduced to printmaking. In this first encounter with the medium Reed experienced a new artistic challenge. Through printmaking he was pushed to explore new realms of expression beyond just fine tuning his technical skills. Printmaking has also introduced him to a new art community which has also helped his development as an artist.

This collection of new work is the result of Reed’s mining through his own psyche discovering the sources of his inspiration. It is his goal to work as intuitively as he possibly can, speaking in the visual language he has developed over the course of his artistic career. Reed remembers in his youth collecting postcards designed with images of Asian art. He admits that these images, likely imbedded in his subconscious, and are now surfacing in his newer work.  What’s more Reed sees this as an opportunity to laugh by including humor in his art. Where the Asian influence is concerned, the largest painting in this show is much like an Asian landscape. The humor comes in where this landscape contains depictions of animals that would be foreign to this environment. This juxtaposing of symbols removes a seriousness that is often associated with fine art.

This Headspace collection for Reed, functions as the first step in a new direction toward self realization rather than an actual location. The collection shows that he is still in a phase of transition attempting to understand himself better as a creative individual. Exposure of this kind is certainly a bold move though the work that has resulted creates excitement for what comes next.

This exhibition is part of the Student Exhibition Spaces Program coordinated by the Center for Career and Professional Development at Pratt Institute.  All current students can submit work for inclusion in future exhibitions by emailing ccpdprograms@gmail.com for more information.