Photographs courtesy Loren Munk
Meta in manners formal and conceptual alike, Loren Munk’s infographically dense, variably cartographic works convey art histories past and present with compositional grit and chromatic play. He charts art figures, art movements, artists’ studios, art neighborhoods, art galleries, art terms and art norms, and what results therefrom is a visual statement of the great ubiquity of one thing in particular, however patent: Art. In certain times, that is. Or in certain urban settings. Or thanks to certain historical conditions or stylistic tendencies.
That something like ubiquity arises out of Munk’s work makes sense not only because of his subject matter but also because he, too, is ubiquitous. Donning the threads and bike helmet of his alter ego James Kalm, Munk makes a presence at more openings than anyone we know and sees more exhibits than one might readily believe, then creates casually jazzy, conversational videos of the same and posts them to YouTube at his two channels, the Kalm Report and Rough Cut.
Fittingly, his own artwork, already quite extensively exhibited and distributed, has been particularly ubiquitous over the past couple years. He’s a busy fellow, so we were happy he was able to take some time to answer a few questions for us on the eve of his solo show, You Are Here, at Freight + Volume (February 13-March 15).