Jimmy Kuehnle

Jimmy Kuehnle’s art rarely consists of static objects to be contemplated in a gallery setting. For Kuehnle, art resides not in the thing, but in the encounter. In his work, that encounter is often disruptive, colorful, and lots of fun. Consider his project Amphibious Inflatable Suit, a site-specific intervention in the pond at Crystal Bridges. For this project, the artist has created a large-scale inflatable biomorphic creature that lives on the water, performing an “exercise routine” that lifts it above and below the surface. Over the course of the exhibition, the artist wears the suit in several performances that take him through various obstacles on the Museum campus and beyond, requiring the assistance of bystanders to continue in his journey. Kuehnle’s approach interrupts the experience of everyday life with the colorful, the strange, and the unexpected. These interruptions inspire reflection on one’s own position—an apt metaphor, he might say, for the aspirations of art.