Think TANK!
4’ 6” x 4’ 6” x 7’6”
Painted aluminum, Steel
2018
2018 Open Studio Fellow
Artist Statement
I am a mixed media sculptor who collages diverse imagery into hybrid sculptures to explore cultural contexts between generations of people.
I use vintage toy/folk art aesthetics that capture and hold the interest of the viewer enticing them allow for reflection on greater issues in our society and question what we believe about ourselves.
My work tends to be whimsical but referencing historical or environmental issues that affect our communities. Public art should be appealing from a distance but allow for intimate ‘human scale’ interactions. It should spark the imagination of children and adults to create conversations about history, science and art, infusing a space with a ‘sense of place’.
“Think TANK!” is a ‘child sized’ toy tank that is an homage to all the soldiers who have fought in modern wars and to remind us they all started out as children at play.
I come from a rural community and as a child we as a family would take a number of short day trips to other small towns or places of interest in West Central Minnesota. One of the things I enjoyed was finding a Sherman Tank in a public park. I never thought about how odd it was to have an instrument of war and aggression in a relaxing civilian environment, all I knew was that it was a vehicle for my imagination to play on.
I made my piece “Think Tank” to explore the concept of an instrument of war being proudly displayed in rural ‘red state’ America and uncommonly absent in ‘blue state’ urban areas. Both are proud of their soldiers and neither side favors warfare but each side sees the militaristic display or lack of one as part of their identity. By putting a ‘toy’ tank in each setting it would take on different meanings….or just simply be a large colorful toy to climb on.
Kyle Fokken
Born: Clara City, MN, USA
Resides: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Education
BFA, St. Cloud State University, 1991