Chris Kenny was born in London and studied art history at the Courtauld Institute. He has been exhibiting since 1985 in Europe and America and is collected internationally.
Chris Kenny works with humble, found materials: fragments excised from books or maps, discarded photographs or books, and fine twigs. He transforms these constructing fragile pertinent worlds that provoke wonder, humour or pathos.
From a distance his text assemblages are minimalist bas-reliefs. As one approaches, the detail becomes clearer: poetic phrases instructing, interrogating or educating the viewer, arrayed in tiny terraces. There is a taxonomy of fonts, paper textures and shades, a balance of poignant fragility and absurdist wit, a tension between the flimsiness of existence and the wish to comprehend.
He uses maps similarly - different graphic languages jostle for superiority as they proclaim the significance of their little patch of the earth. The colourful forms tilt and turn, collecting together in rhythmic cartographic abstractions.
Found elements, images and text combine in curious object-poems - tiny still-lives or handmade books, proposing an idea or subject for musing.
He revisits old masters' content and classic modernist form: floating twig drawings re-imagine 16th century religious paintings or twist in abstract, gestural displays. Cut book covers are joined to build jagged polychrome drawings.
The attempt to envisage heaven on earth through painting landscape is explored in rows of little houses constructed from abandoned amateur pictures of idealised Nature, their facades incised with large letters to spell out mythical paradises: Arcadia or Elysium or Eden.
Since March 2017, Chris Kenny has been making a daily sculpture of a saint cut from a twig and posting it on Instagram as @twigsaints . These frail little figures writhe in agony or ecstasy and come together as a portrait of humanity with all our energy and sensuality, our hubris and delusion.
INTERVIEWS AND ESSAYS
Interview with Guillaume Monsaingeon, 2016. Read here: English / French
Collecting Himself by Gabriel Coxhead, 2011. Read here.
The Matter of Facts by Andrew Spira, 2005. Read here.
Chris Kenny by Alain de Botton, 2003. Read here.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019-20 Scenes from the Lives of the Saints, Rowley Gallery, London.
2018 Twigs and Text, After Nyne Gallery, Portland Road, London.
2018 Menologion, an excerpt from the Twig Saints Project, Rowley Gallery, London.
2016 Au milieu de nulle part, Musee Hebert, Grenoble, France.
2014 An implicit celebration of untotalizable micro-narratives - 50 handmade books, Bookartbookshop, London.
2014 The Flowers that Did in Eden Bloom, Pitzhanger Manor, London.
2013 Chris Kenny, England & Co, London.
2011 Chris Kenny: Recent Work, England & Co, London.
2005 Chris Kenny: The Matter of Facts, England & Co, London.
2003 Chris Kenny: part of me is floating above myself, England & Co, London.
2001 Chris Kenny: Works from 2001, England & Co, London.
2000 Chris Kenny: Recent Work, England & Co, London.
1996 Aylesbury Museum, Buckinghamshire.
1996 Artists Book Fair, Barbican, London.
1994 Brighton Arts Centre, Brighton Marina.
1994 High Wycombe Museum, Buckinghamshire.
1993 Tecno, Bond Street, London.
1992 Splinter Gallery, Hammersmith, London.
1991 Long and Ryle, Pimlico, London.
1989 Birch and Conran, Soho, London.
1985 Gallery 24, Notting Hill, London.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 KAOS, International Festival of Collage, Kranj, Slovenia
2024 Menologion: 365 Saints, video work, Tweetakt Festival, Utrecht
2023 The Art of Paper, Green & Stone Gallery, London
2023 Summer Exhibition, Green & Stone Gallery, London
2023 70 Trees, Rowley Gallery, London
2022 Matisse and Contemporary Paper Art, Rheged Gallery, Cumbria
2022 A Generous Space, New Art Gallery, Walsall
2021 Partance, Villa Theo, Le Lavandou, Provence
2019 Le temps de l’île, Mucem, Marseille, France.
2019 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, RA, London.
2018 After Nyne Presents, Portland Road, London.
2018 Eight from Nyne, 45 Park Lane, London.
2018 Mapping the Present, Boise Art Museum, Idaho, USA.
2017 Atlas des déplacements, Musée Hébert, Grenoble, France.
2017 The Sorriest Things, (curator and exhibitor) Centre Studios, London.
2017 hardware, Centre Studios, London.
2016 Artificial Realities, Courtauld Institute, London.
2015 Chemcraft, Espacio Gallery, London.
2014 alpha beta carta, Parc culturel de Rentilly, Bussy-St Martin, France.
2013 Telling Stories, Kaleidoscope Gallery, Sevenoaks.
2013 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, RA, London.
2013 Mappa Mundi 2, Hotel des Arts, Toulon, France.
2013 First Cut, Manchester City Art Gallery and touring.
2012 Wandering Lines: Automatic Drawing to Abstraction, England & Co, London.
2010 Mappa Mundi, The Berardo Museum Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal.
2010 The Art of Hip-ok-risy, The Mayor's & City of London Court, Guildhall Buildings, London.
2010 Collected Fragments, Sunderland Museum, Tyne & Wear, UK.
2009 Slash: Paper Under the Knife, Museum of Art & Design, New York, USA.
2009 City X, and The Map is not the Territory Revisited, both at England & Co, London.
2009 House of Words, Dr Johnson's House, London.
2009 Cut It Out: Contemporary Paper Cut Artists, Otter Gallery, Chichester; and Southampton City Art Gallery.
2009 Contained Thoughts, The Courtauld Institute Library Exhibition Space, London.
2008 Persistent Obsessions, England & Co, London.
2008 Summer Exhibition, England & Co, London.
2007 Re:formed, Chris Kenny, Georgia Russell, Jason Wallis-Johnson, England & Co, London.
2007 Culture Bound: Courtauld Institute of Art's East Wing Collection VII, biennial exhibition displayed in the Institute's East Wing, Somerset House, London.
2007 Chris Kenny, Georgia Russell, Jason Wallis-Johnson, Project Space (curated by Jane England), London Contemporary Art Fair, BDC, London.
2006 Literary Constructs: Chris Kenny, Liliane Lijn, Arthur Giardelli, Vito Drago, Rupert Spira, Georgia Russell, England & Co, London.
2005 Tracing Spaces, 66 East Centre for Urban Culture in Amsterdam.
2003 Sartorial, England & Co, London.
2003 The Map Is Not the Territory iii, James Hockey Gallery, Surrey Institute of Art & Design.
2002 The Map Is Not the Territory ii, England & Co, London.
2002 Summer in the City, England & Co, London.
2002 Christmas Show, England & Co, London.
2001 The Map Is Not the Territory, England & Co, London.
2000 Wallpaper, Old Kent Road, London.
1999 Continuation: 12 Years of England & Co, England & Co, London.
1999 Pagemakers, Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries and touring.
1999 Virgin VIP lounge, Heathrow Airport.
1998 Ealing Open, Pitshanger Manor Gallery, London.
1997 Pull up a Chair, Scunthorpe Museum, Lincs.
1997 Wexford Artists Book Festival, Wexford, Ireland.
1997 Reading Rooms, Catalyst Arts, Belfast.
1996 Pitshanger Manor Gallery, London.
1995 The Box Show, England & Co, at the Henley Festival.
1995 British Surrealism 1935-1995, England & Co, London.
1994 Painted Leaves, Artists Books, Liberty, London.
1994 Old Object, New Subject, Nottingham University.
1994 Bookworks, Gallery II, Bradford University.
1994 Words and Pictures, launched at ICA, London.
1993 Art in Boxes, England & Co, London.
1993 The Collage Show, England & Co, London.
1993 Mostyn Open, Wales.
1993 Four Seasons Tree Cycle, inauguration of window installation, Music Sales Ltd, London.
1992 Art in Boxes, England & Co.
1992 Pacesetters 12, Peterborough Museum and touring.
1992 London Group.
1992 Mostyn Open, Wales.
1991 Six British Painters, touring exhibition in Spain.
1990 London Group (main prize-winner).
1990 Riverside Open, London.
1988 St Paul's Gallery, Leeds.
1986 Camden Arts Centre, London.
1985 Riverside Open, London.
And numerous art fairs.
SELECTED COMMISSIONS
2020 Fetish Map of Vienna for Atelier 27, Paris
2018 Mexican Triptych for Blackrock, Mexico City.
2012 Five Continents for Blackrock, New York.
2001 Works for West Street Hotel, London.
2000 Collage for window, The Cross, London.
1999 Installations for window, The Cross, London.
1998 Collages for window, The Cross, London.
1996 Judy the Obscure, artist's book (for John Jesse).
1993 Mosaic for the NEC, Birmingham.
1993 Four Seasons Tree Cycle for Music Sales Ltd, London.
1992 Little Journeys into the Heavenly Country, artist's book.
1986 Record cover for The Fall.
ARTIST'S EDITIONS
2018 The flowers that did in Eden bloom (digital print)
2014 Menu (digital print)
2001 Fig.1.
2000 The Secrets of the Deep.
1999 The Principles of Abstract Composition.
1998 The Principles of Flower Arranging.
1997 You are part of a divine pudding.
1996 Eating and Being Eaten.
1995 The Pocket Book of Phallic Symbols.
1995 Satisfuction Guarantee.
1994 The Truth.
COLLECTIONS
British Museum (Philosophy can damp down the hottest flames of lust).
Victoria and Albert Museum (a construction of twigs: 100 Drawings).
Museum of London (a construction: Fetish Map of London).
Musee Hotel des Arts, Toulon (Capella).
Blackrock, New York (Suite of map drawings).
Baker & McKenzie, London.
Deutsche Bank Collection, London.
NatWest Bank, Madrid.
Tate Gallery, London (artists books collection).
County Wexford, Ireland (artists books collection).
University of South Australia (artists books collection).
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chris Kenny: Au milieu de nulle part, exhibition catalogue published by Musée Hébert, 2016.
Chris Kenny: Collected Work and Essays, published by England & Co, London, 2011.
Chris Kenny: The Matter of Facts, essay 'The Matter of Facts' by Andre Spira, exhibition catalogue published by England & Co, London, 2005.
'Streets Ahead', illustrated article by Alex Bagner in 'Art News' section, Wallpaper, June 2004.
Chris Kenny: part of me is floating above myself, introduction by Alain de Botton, exhibition catalogue published by England & Co, London, 2003.
'Mixed Metaphors' illustrated article by Andrew Tuck in 'The Broader Picture' section, The Sunday Review magazine, The Independent on Sunday, 2 December 2001.
Chris Kenny: Works from 2001, introduction by Jane England, exhibition catalogue published by England & Co, London, 2001.
Chris Kenny: Recent Work, introduction Making Nothing Happen by Chris Kenny, exhibition catalogue published by England & Co, London, 2000.
'A collector with a fit of the squiggles', exhibition review by Rose Aidin, Evening Standard, London, 23 March 2000.
The Dictionary of British Artists in Britain since 1945, David Buckman, published by Art Dictionaries Ltd, 1998.
Interview with Chris Kenny, Engaged Magazine, London, September 1994.
Pagemakers, exhibition catalogue, Gracefields Arts Centre touring exhibition, 1999.
Seis Jovenes Pintores Britanicos, exhibition catalogue published by The British Council & Instituto Britanico, Segovia, 1991.
