Kite A from the collection of UNLV Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art

Kite A, 2013

Canvas, wood, acrylic gesso, string, metal staples

24 x 24 x 0.5 in

Inv: 2017.30.002

In Storage

Thomas Ray Willis
Kite A, 2013
Canvas, wood, acrylic gesso, string, metal staples
Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art Collection
Gift of the artist
2017.30.002

Raised in Las Vegas and currently living and working in New York City, Thomas Ray Willis teases the imagined boundaries between fine art and the quotidian world by transforming traditional art materials into household items such as mallets, beds, flower pots, and—during his 2015 residency at the Cosmopolitan’s P3 Studios—boutique bags and belts. His work has appeared at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, MA; Dorchester Art Project, MA; Socrates Sculpture Park, NY; and various Las Vegas galleries including the Contemporary Art Center and Trifecta. UNLV BFA 2009

In 1917, Marcel Duchamp’s Urinal inaugurated the idea that everyday objects could become art. A century later, Willis picks up a canvas and tests out the transformation in reverse.

Image description:
This mixed media piece is a white square. There is a vertical kite tail made of string coming down from the lower right hand corner of the square. There are three horizontal fabric ties at various places on the string. (written by Andrea Noonoo)

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