YORKE GRAHAM: CONVERGENCE

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Yorke Graham, "88 Special," 2016

vintage & recycled metal, 13" × 40" × 2"

Opening Reception: Friday, February 10, 6-9pm. Artist in attendance.

Yorke Graham has always loved fixing and building things.

One day, while combing the neighbourhood beach, Yorke happened upon an old water tank washed up on shore. The buffeted metal with its rich patina finish captivated him; it conveyed something of the changeful sea he has loved since he was a kid. After hauling it home, he transformed the piece, and today, that water tank is a huge, funky fish hanging in his foyer, the first catch that lured him into metal sculpture.

With the collaboration of his wife Karen, Yorke has created a menagerie of robots, herons, whales, tables, and other works of art from recycled and vintage finds. He is a self-taught artist that recently left his career as a cable technician and loves the challenge of bringing a wide variety of ideas to life. “Using both cherished mementos and objects destined to be destroyed or forgotten gives me a real sense of satisfaction.”

Often the couple work together from conception to completion, and other times Yorke just calls on her for placement suggestions or general opinions. Either way, they love discussing new ideas and together they search for old treasures at antique shows, markets, scrap yards and garage sales.

“The physicality of what I do - from the hunt for interesting materials, the process of cutting, bending and fitting, to the designing and welding of each piece suits my active personality and nature so well.”

In his first show at Kimoto Gallery, Yorke brings interesting objects and materials that have come to the end of their useful life together, to create new works of art with a modern and often playful twist. “Convergence” truly defines this unique and thought-provoking collection.