Transmitter presents:
Kirk Stoller Tribute
June 16 - June 26, 2020 Opening Online only: Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Transmitter is pleased to present a virtual show honoring the life and legacy of Transmitter’s own co-director Kirk Stoller, who recently passed away.
The Kirk Stoller Tribute Show showcases Kirk’s life as a complete creative endeavor—applying his artistic abilities not only in his studio practice but outside of it as well. The exhibition highlights Kirk’s artwork alongside works made by artists he curated and developed meaningful friendships with over the years at both c2c project space and Transmitter.
In an effort to stay connected to both San Francisco and New York throughout his bicoastal life, Kirk founded and ran c2c (Coast 2 Coast) project space, out of his apartments. The mission of c2c project space was to pair artists from each coast in order to find an artistic common ground and bring artists closer together, while simultaneously highlighting the differences in their practices.
During his tenure at Transmitter, Kirk curated engaging exhibitions, including what’s MY line, Nestled in the Warm Embrace of “Painting”, and Egregore, a solo exhibition by Gregory Kaplowitz. Kirk’s dedication to building friendships through art and arts communities inspired us all.
Kirk’s personal work could also be considered a conversation between two different elements: the physical objects with their seemingly effortless, even precarious, balance of materials, and the emotional evocations brought about by the colors and surfaces he used. The colors he included in his pieces often had biographical references: yellow indicated his childhood home and pink often implied his sisters’ presence in the piece, among other personal color correlations. Kirk’s sculptures invited viewers to find their own “pathways” around the piece and associations provoked within each work.
We hope The Kirk Stoller Tribute Show allows you to revisit not only Kirk’s work as a singular artist but also appreciate the work of the artists he curated and he developed significant relationships with over the years, including among others: Jacob Cartwright, Martha Clippinger, Lauren DiCioccio, Gregory Kaplowitz, Andrew Prayzner, Mel Prest, Adams Puryear, and Karen Schifano.
Kirk was born in Oregon and raised on a small farm outside of Portland. He moved to the Bay Area in the 1980s. His work has been exhibited internationally, including: Mary Ryan Gallery, Leslie Heller Gallery, Storefront Bushwick Gallery, Gridspace, The Property, Galerie Axel Obiger, and has been the subject of five solo exhibitions at Romer Young Gallery in San Francisco. He participated in numerous artist residencies, including the Golden Foundation, the MacDowell Art Colony, Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, Willapa Bay, and Yaddo.