Artist’s Statement

There is an unseen formula present in the infinite scales of the universe, within and well beyond our comprehension. Its presence is like a language that we try to make sense of with means of science, spirituality and religion. We find the presence of this language beautiful because it makes sense to us. We can relate to it, as ultimately, we are a complex expression of such.

Gene Kiegel (b. 1974, Ukraine, USSR) is a New York based interdisciplinary artist with a degree in Environmental Design from UC Berkeley. Gene Kiegel experiments with innate material properties that express universal behavior. He envisions what has preceded and what might proceed the Anthropocene: alternative worlds that are untouched by human activity, or exist as evidence of our lasting impact. The body of work resembles a collection of extracts from other worlds, comprised of biological and geological formations in sculptural format—seemingly alien yet deeply familiar.

This concept of a universal language came from experimentation with beeswax and begat exploration into new materials and their expressions. The deductive search for its essence generated self-organizing landscapes; monuments to forces at their pinnacle; organic architectures; synthetic flora in bloom. All artwork is purposely left untitled to foster a variety of interpretations driven by the viewer’s personal associations, unhindered by the artist’s own. The hidden worlds that Gene Kiegel creates substantiate the existence of a universal language, expanding its presence and allowing the viewer to linger in these moments that comprise life.