Arden Kraatz

  • A painted portrait of a person in a mirror. They are neon pink and an ambiguous person behind them has hands on their shoulders. The painting is installed on top of a sheer white piece of fabric with abstract natural elements painted on it. There is an elevated silhouette of a person slightly in front of the painting with hands pinned to the shoulders. The hands have a surreal college of hands and mouths painted on them.

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  • A painting of an obscured photograph with a hand drawing a smiley face in the dust on the photograph.

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  • An abstracted green and red figure laying on a purple ground. There's an impression of the body and handprint on the ground.

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  • A sketchy drawing of a green landscape with an indentation of a cookie cutter body. There is a flower growing at the edge of where an arm would be.

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  • A portrait of an angular, abstracted face in green and red with purple hair. The person in smiling/laughing looking up to the right

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  • An oil painting of an eye in a field of grass. The pupil of the eye is a person with a watering can. The water from the can is leaking out of the eye like tears. The blades of grass surrounding the eye are depicted as hands reaching for the eye.

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  • A sketchy drawing of a person holding hands with their shadow. The viewers point of view is that of the shadow’s.

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  • A 3D painting of a woman surgically open on a mattress. The internal organs are abstract colorful shapes formed by clay.

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  • An oil painting of a person having lipstick put on them by the viewer.

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  • An oil painting of a pink person laying back on a grassy background as the viewer pries open their mouth to see their reflection in a pool of water inside.

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Artist Statement

My work examines power dynamics in intimate relationships, specifically how micro gestures and aggressions stem from an ingrained patriarchal framework that influences familial and romantic interactions. Through portraiture and the inclusion of the viewer, I explore concepts of play, consent, submission, care and disrespect. My work is primarily painting and drawing with elements of relief sculpture and installation principles that create an immersive space and role for the viewer. I use the depiction of hands to manipulate perspective in order to force an observer of the piece into the role of the aggressor. I’m interested in the power and control behind a gesture and how we navigate spaces of touch and consent as instigators and receivers.

 

With layering and textiles, I expand my paintings directly onto the wall and into space. I see the rectangle of the canvas as a representation of containment and the establishment. I strive to rebel against the frame and create hybrid paintings/sculptures that extend into the viewer’s space. I use a chromatic palette and neon grounds to create a lush visual experience in which color represents duality and importance, and often hints at a sense of unease underlying the piece. In regards to the figurative aspects in my work, formal rendering alongside abstract elements reference the combination of rigid social structure and complex emotion that influence interactions between loved ones. 

 

My art is a reflection and a manifestation of fleeting moments that harm, that show disrespect but that can also be moments of care and comfort. It is an exploration of interrelations, family, power and the effect of larger cultural frameworks that both deepen and restrain personal connections.

Artist Bio

Arden Kraatz is a New York based artist currently working and residing in Brooklyn. They were born in 1996 in Fort Worth, Texas. They received a BFA in Drawing and Painting with a concentration in photography from the University of North Texas. They completed a summer residency at the The New York Academy of Art and is currently completing a MFA in Fine Arts at Parsons School of Design.