The Embrace Before The Storm

Born in Chicago in 1955, Kevin Kuenster is an American artist known for his narrative and surreal imagery. Influenced by 20th-century female surrealists like Leonora Carrington, Dorothea Tanning, along with other artists such as Paul Delvaux and Balthus, Kevin’s art weaves dreamlike fantasy into thought-provoking narratives. Raised by bohemian parents who exposed him to museums and diverse art at a young age, Kevin’s early immersion fueled a lifelong journey of creative exploration. He studied graphic design at Philadelphia College of Art, then transitioned into operating a successful cosmetics and fashion photography studio in New York City for many years. Always the frustrated artist, Kevin began devoting all his creative energy to visual art about ten years ago. He has experimented with various mediums, including photography, sculpture, fresco, and now, painting. Exploring themes around humanity’s connection to the natural world, his work has been featured in exhibitions and publications throughout the United States and Europe, earning recognition and awards. In Kevin’s art, viewers are prompted to reflect on the delicate balance between reality and dreams, echoing the influences of the surrealists who have left an indelible mark on his artistic vision. Continually pushing the boundaries of his creative spirit, Kevin looks forward to every day in his studio, an old barn situated in the breathtaking Hudson Valley of New York State.

Dama Gallery is pleased to announce Who Do We Think We Are, a solo exhibition of new works by contemporary artist Kevin Kuenster, opening December 4th at the gallery’s Downtown Los Angeles location on Main Street. The exhibition presents Kuenster’s most ambitious exploration to date of the complex and often uneasy relationship between human identity, instinct, and the natural world.

Kuenster’s latest works are striking for their bold color, emotional directness, and unusual hybrid forms, figures that merge human anatomy with animal attributes. Far from surrealism for its own sake, these hybrids serve as conceptual devices, revealing tensions between vulnerability, ethics, and the ways in which humans position themselves within (and above) the natural order. His imagery challenges the notion of humans as separate from or superior to the creatures they coexist with, inviting viewers to reconsider the fragile narratives they use to define themselves.

A key motif in the exhibition is the use of animal-inspired features; elongated ears, skeletal elements, exaggerated proportions, that occupy a space between humor and unease. These traits act as symbolic markers, evoking ideas of heightened sensitivity, exposure, instinctive behavior, and the comical façade of human self-importance. Kuenster’s characters are not depictions of beasts or monsters, but rather reflections of our own contradictions: both delicate and absurd, self-aware yet driven by impulses we rarely acknowledge.

Through these hybrid anatomies, Kuenster constructs a dreamlike terrain where the borders between species dissolve. In this liminal space, the human figure is recast not as a dominant force but as a participant in a larger, interconnected system, one that it often misunderstands or exploits. The resulting images function as visual allegories, questioning the roles of shame, responsibility, and ego while illuminating how easily our polished identities can unravel.

The exhibition’s title, Who Do We Think We Are, speaks directly to this tension. Rather than asserting an answer, Kuenster’s work prompts a deeper examination of the assumptions underlying modern human behavior. With compositions that balance humor, critique, tenderness, and psychological depth, he encourages viewers to confront aspects of the self that tend to remain concealed beneath constructed social personas.

Kuenster’s technical execution intensifies the conceptual impact. His command of color allows emotions to surface in unexpected ways, while his compositions, simultaneously graphic and painterly, hold the viewer’s attention through their clarity and complexity. The works demonstrate a synthesis of imagination and craftsmanship, offering a vision that is both spirited and incisive.

Who Do We Think We Are continues Dama Gallery’s commitment to presenting artists whose practices challenge conventional boundaries and engage with contemporary cultural discourse. Kevin Kuenster’s new body of work exemplifies this mission, pushing viewers to reexamine who they are, how they behave, and how they relate to the world around them.