INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

The Curious City: Kipp Normand

Four and a half stars

Harrison Gallery, Harrison Center for the Arts

Kipp Normand may be the city’s best assemblage artist. Normand blends, borrows and embellishes with objects that we recognize as “old” and objects that have specific meanings. The resulting works are sculptural constructions that transform history into new messages about the present. This is the artist’s second solo show at the Harrison Gallery (the first was in 2004). The look of the gallery space is as considered as Normand’s sculptures — from the mustard and antique green wall colors to Normand’s handmade cresting ornamenting a ledge. One of the most striking works, “Citizen’s Gas & Coke,” utilizes what looks like a drawer for scientific specimens. All black with square compartments, the spaces are filled with various sized lumps of black coke (derived from coal). Hung on the wall, the piece resembles a minimalist painting. Included in the composition are three small black and white images from a jujitsu book. The jujitsu imagery, Normand stated, is representative of the violent, fiery qualities of the plant that he observed. Multiple works were inspired by Indianapolis history and neighborhood revitalization projects supported by Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a show partner. Curious? Tour some sites that inspired Normand’s work at TheCuriousCity.com. Through Sept. 29; 317-396-3886, www.harrioncenter.org