Larry Kornegay + Bill Timmerman

In concert with the International Sculpture Conference this November, Modified Arts is proud to present the third annual collaborative exhibition from veteran Phoenix artists Bill Timmerman and Larry Kornegay.

Though the two are near-lifelong friends, the two only began working together a few years ago, coming together for their first exhibition at Modified Arts. Since then, the two have returned yearly to contribute a seamless body of work celebrating the two’s respective skills and perspectives on art in the desert.

Bill Timmerman’s film photography extends his daily work as an architectural photographer to its limits, pointing out the linearity and shape of both natural and unnatural sites and objects. Presented in near-identical formats, their soft black-and-white color format plays fluidly with the stone, concrete, and plant matter used in Kornegay’s accompanying works. Though often depicting strong buildings and eternal landscapes, Timmerman’s work portrays a softness, encouraging the viewer to come closer in quiet contemplation. Routine must be cast aside in addressing the transitory nature of the framings the artist chooses to make.

Larry Kornegay’s latest body of work sees the artist expanding his creative palette beyond the cast concrete, resin, and wood-based sculptural works which have dominated the last few years of his work. These new pieces incorporate painted words, referencing the artist’s past life as a sign painter, blending language and its relative fluidity into his solid physical forms. As in previous exhibitions, Kornegay again finds resolution in pieces which have remained uncertain across a majority of his 45-year career. “The Family Portrait” and “Rich Folk, Poor Folk” fit this narrative, with the artist declaring that “This year…they reached a satisfying, and surprising, conclusion.” And thus, the element of play in his work remains steadfast.