When you see Cristopher Cichocki’s art installations, you senses will experience contradiction. He’s an organic artist, yet his works are illuminated by his signature neon paint, and often black lighting, creating an edgy yet natural composition. He brings attention to his underlying theme: the collision of man and nature.
Cichocki is the Palm Springs Art Museum’s 2013 Artist-in-Residence. His large-scale installation Desert Abyss: Cycle in Cycle opens Friday, Aug. 16, and will be on display through Saturday, Sept. 28. (Editor’s note: The exhibit has been extended to run through Oct. 27.)
He often uses materials found in nature—such as on the desert floor. His works of art merge photography, painting, sculpture, video, sound and installation, creating a multi-sensory experience. Art-lovers raved about his Epicenter exhibition, at the Pacific Design Center’s See Line Gallery in West Hollywood, earlier this year.
The Illinois native and Coachella Valley resident has been inspired by nature and the ever-present threat to an environment that is vulnerable due to man’s actions and inactions. Water is a constant in his works; he often focuses on the Salton Sea and its problems, which threaten to affect everyone in Southern California.
Neon-painted dead fish and videos of water and life that coexist along the desert’s edge are found in his works. There’s even a hint of nuclear catastrophe, perhaps, at his intersection of art, science and nature. Topography, art and geological forces are beautifully represented in his art forms, which include audio and visual stimulation.
Desert Abyss: Cycle in Cycle pays homage to the ancient body of water that once covered the Coachella Valley, and the remnants of that sea’s life, which are found along the mountains as fossilized fish and plants. Water was also his subject at his exhibits at ROJO Nova Museum in Rio de Janeiro and in São Paolo’s Rojo Nova Museum of Image and Sound. Using locally drawn materials from the Amazon River and surrounding forests, Cichocki reflected the conflicts between civilization and nature—yes, it’s a worldwide theme.
I have watched Cichocki evolve throughout the years, and it’s exciting how he has been able to find a voice for the many issues that we face. This exhibit is a must-see; Cichocki has found inspiration in the desert and is making a difference by educating the public while also entertaining people with his eclectic art, showing both environmental beauty and the perils we face as a society.
I asked Cristopher where he sees himself in five years, and he replied that he wanted to be traveling the world with his curated exhibitions from museum to museum—kind of a nomadic artist at large.
See his work at the Palm Springs Art Museum while you can.
Cristopher Cichocki’s Desert Abyss: Cycle in Cycle will be on display at the Palm Springs Arts Museum, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, from Friday, Aug. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 27. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, and Friday through Sunday; and noon to 8 p.m., Thursday. Admission is $12.50 for adults; $10.50 for seniors; $5 for students; and free to military members, museum members and children 12 and younger. Admission is free to all from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, and the second Sunday of the month. For more information, call 760-322-4800, or visit PSMuseum.org. An artists’ talk will be held on Thursday, Aug. 22, and a symposium on the future of the Salton Sea will be held from 3 to 5 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 22.
For more on Cichocki, visit cristophersea.com.
Richard Almada is the CEO and president of Artistic Relations and heads up Desert Art Tours. He can be reached at ArtisticRelations@gmail.com. Below: “Deep Breath” by Cristopher Cichocki.
