Chris Kettle, KounterKulture

Chris Kettle

Chris Kettle is notorious for his subversive approach to Still Life and his recent paintings draws inspiration from the work of the Dutch Masters. The artist uses inanimate objects ordinarily associated with pure study as a means with which to explore many facets of human emotion, reworking these classical symbols in his own distinctive, often dark and brooding style. The result of this marriage of classic and contemporary is a highly engaging body of work in which the artist presents a variety of sentiments that are both touching and humorous.

As Art Review stated, Kettle turns the genre on its head to give personal and contemporary versions on the still life theme. Chris Kettle has exhibited widely, including solo shows in Milan, Brighton and Newcastle, and group shows in London, New York and Gstaad.

Artist Statement

I would find it difficult to completely explain my art but it is important that people can gain some insight into it. Most of my paintings reference my 17 year preoccupation with Still Life. It became apparent to me in the early 90s that painting itself was not a fashionable practice, let alone the area of Still Life. Instinctively, this was a challenge I became obsessed with. During my college years I saw a lot of installation art, much of it inspired by Damien Hirst, which I really liked – so I started making my own little installations, then painted them in my studio. The journey since then that has taken me through several phases, occasionally diverse, but always within the boundaries of what I consider to be ‘New Still Life’. I am interested in giving inanimate objects a kind of emotional charge, a soul of their own, in a sense. This is not about technical study, as a lot of Still Life is. It’s not all about symbolism, in the old sense, but rather my expression of universal sentiments, if that is possible.

Kettle has featured in many publications including The Sunday Times - Style Magazine, The XYZ, Gstaad, Anzeiger, Art of England and Art Review.