Carrion Blooms: Casey Curran crafts sculptures that blossom and flutter to life

Before the 20th century, art largely encapsulated inanimate manifestations of rather animate emotions and ideas—static entities that stirred the ocean of thought. This dynamism, which was only figurative before, soon permeated into reality when kineticism became a subject of sculptors’ interest. This shift came with new opportunities and an energy that often accompanies novelty—laying the groundwork for the now burgeoning field of kinetic art. In this solo exhibition, a question lingers amidst the shimmering kinetic sculptures: why should artistic translations of spirited emotions be limited by immobility?

Based in San Francisco, California, Heron Arts has been an active member of the native creative community since 2013. The art gallery platforms the intricate oeuvre of Seattle-based artist Casey Curran in a solo exhibition titled Carrion Blooms. The repository now embellishing the exhibition space depicts a language of both the past and the present, combining modern laser-cut precision with mediaeval kinetic techniques. This series of kinetic sculptures that focuses on the intimate connection between the degeneration of the body and memory will be on view from April 1 to May 6, 2023. “I find myself drawn to the foundation of things, to the root of their cause and the long cycle of their existence,” says Curran. “It’s a fascination with structures lying between the very vast and the very small,” he adds.

Although Curran primarily delves into sculpture, he is not limited to any specific medium—creating kinetic environments with an internal logic and history often fuelled by a simple hand crank. In Carrion Blooms, the sculptural art investigates how we change over time, how we use our days differently with age and what it means to let go of the past. “What pieces of ourselves do we leave behind or choose to take with us when we can no longer spread ourselves thinner? What will be left when we are gone, and who will remember the arrangement we made?” questions the artist. The glittering compositions arise from his thoughts that revolve around how one makes a lasting mark, even after demise—small shadows colouring the lives they touch.

The sculpture artist invites the viewers to partake in his work through interaction, vivifying into an illustration of flora and fauna that blooms or flutters to life when activated. “When conceiving my pieces, I centre on a hidden narrative and assign visual elements that align with the concept of the piece, often utilising ornate structures and simple construction methods to further highlight my interests in nature, foundation and form,” Curran explains. When creating his work the artist seeks patterns in the environment surrounding him, trying to extricate symmetry from the ecosystem. He looks for “how innovation shapes itself into our ever-expanding systems of complexity and knowledge.” As a result of his pursuits, a body of work takes form, straddling the concepts of chaos, pattern, and emergence—pillars he is often found seeking, and ones that underpin his creations.

This ensemble of bedecked sculptures marks Curran’s second solo exhibition at Heron Arts. Alongside the delicate pieces, the artist has also conceived an art installation specifically for this exhibition. The rather massive installation is ensconced in the centre of the room, featuring a dark, undulating terrain horizontally ripped into two—one part resting on the ground and the other suspended from the ceiling. This entity speaks a language that boldly contrasts the expression of the dainty and intricate sculptures it is surrounded by, subsequently yielding a dynamic to and fro of power. The show, curated by Tova Lobatz who is also the director of the gallery, is an extension of Heron Art’s ethos of providing a renewed perspective on contemporary beauty in the arts. Carrion Blooms is a reiteration of Curran’s incessant desire to see a system woven into things and defining its every surface and idea; or in the creator’s words, “ a simple piece of humanity laying somewhere between stars and bones, summoning the great and small triumphs of our innumerable endeavours.”

Carrion Blooms will be on view from April 1 to May 6, 2023, at Heron Arts in San Francisco, California.