Cole surmounts the latter problem with a knockout wall- hung sculpture “If my struggles could speak” The spare paint application muted palette of grays blues and black works with curving forms. The tie imagery is still obscure, but the scratching on the aluminum are more consonant with the title.
Cathy Fox
Atlanta Journal & Constitution
August 2005
“Atlanta sculptor Kevin Cole clever wall hung sculptures recalls abstract chignons”
Jessica Dawson,
Washington Post
2005
Most of the critical writing about Cole has stress his ethnic and
cultural content, but it is important that African American artists
(including Sam Gilliam and Clarence Morgan for example) receive purely
formal analysis on their work too. On this level Cole’s work
is impressive, but needs to further examine issues of support, sites
and positioning. When he does, no doubt come along for the ride.
May 2004
Matthew Kangos
Sculpture Magazine Volume 23
Kevin
Cole’s simple knotted neckties turn out to be somewhat complex
than they appear at first glance; lethal when used to hang innocent
victims they are beautiful in undulating snake-like glamour as painted
objects. And finally despite the abstract style of their presentation
they still reach for the faint sublime of a constantly receding ancestral
memory.
2002
Carl Hazelwood
Artist/Writer
New York
"I walked into Kevin’s studio with large northern windows
and was immediately surrounded by a series of powerful wall works
that creatively bestride both paintings and sculpture done in an unusually
accomplished manner."
1999
David C. Driskell
Distinguished University Professor of Art
University of Maryland
Kevin Cole is the king of color. He demonstrates his talent in constructions
made of cylinders and squares that pay homage to important African
American women such as Rosa Parks and Billie Holiday.
1999
Catherine Fox
Visual Art Critic
Atlanta Journal & Constitution
Atlanta, Georgia
Cole joins that interest to a desire for social commentary. His paintings
in the shape of ties use the form in two ways: as a symbol of the
world of power (business and politics) and as a reminder of the lynching
rope that was a part of African-American life earlier in this century.
1998
Robert L. Pincus, Art Critic
The Union Tribune
San Diego, California
On the surface, they run the risk of being perceived as redundant--indistinguishable
in later moments of reflection. But that possibility is dispelled
by the use of individualized color combinations and linear infusions
that establish and maintain the integrity of each object--integrity
that is manifested in the resulting mood or attitude of the piece.
1997
Amalia Amaki, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Spelman College
Cole’s sculptures hug the wall and are moderately small, with
portions that thrust toward the viewer. The energy in these compact
compositions is musical and as improvisational as jazz. The forms
take unexpected turns and leaps, then return to their basic visual
rhythms. These are friendly pieces that invite our close inspection.
But they are also imbued with tragic memories.
1997
Ruth Latter, Art Critic
The Daily Progress
Charlottesville, Virginia
The paintings are made of cardboard and “bendable plywood”
cut into strips shaped like a man’s necktie. These are folded
into crazy booties, painted in bright colors and patterns adapted
from African motifs such as Ghananian Kente cloth and other indigenous
designs. Typically, the strips are folded, bent and joined together
without being smoothed at the edges. The paint is applied with none
of that gestural finesse that the Abstract Expressionists taught us
to love and enjoy.
1996
Donald Locke, Artist/Art Critic
Creative Loafing
Atlanta, Georgia