Episode 62: Sev Coursen

Austin Art Talk

"It’s about looking, and continually trying to hone that and develop an eye."
Sev Coursen is an artist working in multiple media including photography, sculpture, film and video. His work has been presented in exhibitions and screenings in the United States and Europe.
ONE PLUS ELEVEN OBJECT SHOW
Curated by Lauren Jaben

APRIL 2019
Opening Reception Saturday 27 April, from 4-7pm

AGAVE PRINT
1312 E Cesar Chavez
Austin, TX. 78702

Open 8:30 am - 5 pm
Monday through Friday.
By appointment.

Exhibition Artist Statement

My lifelong fascination with architecture and the history of developing landscapes form the core components of my sculptures, photographs, films and videos.

The signage, border markers and fragmented shapes of buildings and background structures in transitional zones within the built environments of rural, exurban, industrial and urban landscapes have inspired many of the forms and surface textures in my objects.

Objects and artifacts observed in natural history museums have also been a lifelong source of visual inspiration. These items are often taken out of their context in their original environments and placed in formal display settings. This fascination has resulted in creation of objects that could be interpreted as functional devices, ritual objects, architectural models or as decorative items.

There is an additional series I refer to as portable objects -– self-contained, collapsible pieces designed for easy transport and setup. Some of the portables are fairly simple hinged devices and others are more complex. Pink Portable has hand-milled articulated hinges that allow the piece to be collapsed or extended in multiple configurations.

Recently I showed the newly completed Pink Portable to Lauren Jaben. She immediately suggested we display it in the window at Agave Print. The title of the current show “One Plus Eleven” refers to this initial selection and the eleven additional pieces she selected, including several objects that have not been previously shown.

I have long wanted to present a sculpture show with a variety of work and I am grateful to Lauren Jabens and Peter Williams for the opportunity to show my objects in their beautiful space at Agave Print.

Some of the subjects we discuss:

Introduction
Three chapters
Childhood in Minnesota
Observing the landscape
Early art creation
Robert Irwin
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Subliminal
Mystery/layers
Epiphany moments
Dioramas
Transitions
Move to Boston
Experimental music
Creative collaboration
Madison Hotel
Drawings/documentation
Move to Austin
Media development
Sculpture/object origins
Craftsmanship
Color/visuals
Artistic practice
stoplightanalytics
Cuero Hotel story
The last three years
Turning points
Reactions to work
Why make art?
Agave exhibition

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian

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Links:

• Sev Coursen
• Sev Linhof Coursen (@sevcoursen) • Instagram
• PechaKucha Night Austin #31 - YouTube
• AgavePrint – Fine digital printing and custom framing
• Robert Irwin | The Chinati Foundation
• Texas Memorial Museum | The University of Texas at Austin
• Boston West End - Hotel Madison - S E Coursen - YouTube
• Robert Irwin: Slant/Light/Volume
• Learning from Las Vegas - Wikipedia