“Vicious Elegance” Julia Klein at Vox Populi

The St.Claire and the Artblog are ecstatic to present the 16 finalists of the New Art Writing Challenge. The challenge generated over 70 unique pieces of writing all examining and engaging art in Philadelphia. Thanks to all those who participated and thanks to our jurors — Hrag Vartanian, Abigail Satinsky and Nell McClister.  Below is Kenneth Nicholson’s finalist entry in the 100 Words or Less category

(IMAGE: Installation shot of Julia Klein’s Partial Figures and Fragments at Vox Populi. Image courtesy of Vox Populi. )

Coils of wire wrapped with aggressive devotion, throttling plaster crusted legs that abruptly disperse into the air. Julia Klein gets her hooks in the viewer immediately with unsettlingly rhythmic sculptures that seamlessly move from masterful intuition to provisional application. For as crudely handled as the sculptures appear, each piece is rooted with a visceral understanding of the body, and how it maneuvers itself. When experiencing the exhibition, the viewer will not move around the sculptures, but with them, within an energetic miasma that hovers throughout the exhibition.

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Kenneth Nicholson  is a painter and writer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is currently enrolled in the MFA program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.