Kent Henricksen: A Season of Delight

Victorian women in masks, sheep dominating young boys, hooded figures popping out of the long grass, demented cherubs and aroused attack dogs are just some of the darkly humorous figures that populate the work of rising New York artist Kent Henrickson. Employing many media and techniques–including drawing, embroidery on linen, wallpaper and sculpture–Henrickson produces rich and crafty artworks that create peculiar psychosexual worlds while balancing classical references with a contemporary sensibility. There is an absurdist quality attached to my imagery, as boys become cloaked or as hooded executioners or young girls dance and play with ghosts while they themselves are bound. At first glance these scenarios appear to be completely inappropriate and preposterous, but upon further scrutiny they can allude to psychological games and/or individual power struggles. This first monograph features paper changes, lots of full-bleed images and a host of excellent essays and interviews.