Collection: 26q2 Chris Zickefoose | Make and Model

Make and Model is the official debut of the Polyhedron series. These three-dimensional, wall mounted sculptures are made of wood or metal, their surfaces smoothed and refined with bondo, meticulously sanded, then finished with autobody paint. These compound-angle, irregular polyhedrons are geometrically complex while remaining minimal and elegant. They resemble something between a sports car and a polished gemstone. 

The ritual of purchase is as much a part of the art as the making of it. Each work is issued a unique Certificate of Authenticity which is signed over when sold, which closely resembles a California pink slip (car title.) This document proves the authenticity of the work, and stipulates that the surfaces can be reworked, repaired and repainted at any body shop and still be considered authentic. It gives the title holder an active ownership that allows them to interact with the object on a deeper level. The owner is a collaborator rather than a passive observer. 

The Polyhedron pieces are intended to be living sculptures that grow, change and evolve over time. This transience means that the “art” lives in the idea and in the acts of ownership and maintenance rather than in the object alone. Though the work is conceptual in nature, it does not sacrifice craft or its pursuit of formal beauty,  instead  it holds them to a higher standard that is defined cross-culturally (ie. car culture, fine art, and decor). The work touches on themes of identity through material possession, labor, status, and beauty. 

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Chris Zickefoose (b. 1992) makes wall mounted sculptures that are meditations on materials and their broader social implications. 

He grew up in Harford County, Maryland. He learned woodworking at a young age from his grandfather and took to art through skateboarding and punk music. 

He attended Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA, 2014) where he developed his first major body of work, The OSB series. His studio practice continued in the Baltimore/DC area while he worked as an art handler in museums. 

He attended the Vermont Studio Center Residency (2016) and started using found building materials to construct assemblages. His process was refined at The Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency (JTHAR, 2018) where he used the weathered surfaces of demolished homesteads in the Mojave to highlight the synthesis of what is man made and what is naturally occurring. After JTHAR he moved to Los Angeles and began developing his latest Polyhedron series.

In addition to making sculpture, he is a surfer, musician and card shark.