TED LARSEN: Out of the Ordinary

Born in South Haven, Michigan, Ted Larsen grew up in a family of artists. This environment naturally led him to study Fine Arts. Fascinated by the geological power of the Great Lakes region, the first part of his artistic journey began as a landscape painter, focusing on "Abstract Landscapes."

Until 2001, Larsen found considerable success with his paintings and was featured in numerous exhibitions. However, he gradually felt a sense of dissatisfaction, as though something essential was missing from his artistic practice. The shock of September 11 brought about a radical shift in his work. Deeply affected by the event, he spent several weeks unable to paint. When he returned to his studio, his approach had completely changed.

Using surfaces crafted from reclaimed materials or pre-painted metal—often sourced from car bodies, what he calls "non-art materials"—Larsen creates three-dimensional wall objects by applying these uniquely colored surfaces, weathered by time, accidents, and the elements, onto wooden frameworks. These "Shaped Paintings," hybrid objects with clear sculptural qualities, challenge the concepts of painting and sculpture, blurring the lines between the two.

Exploring the relationship between the artwork and its exhibition space, Ted Larsen disrupts traditional norms by questioning the frontal display typically reserved for painting. The small scale of his works also engages the viewer, inviting them to come closer and explore the spatiality of the pieces, while the titles, often oxymorons, confront dualities and provoke reflection.

Larsen grounds his artistic research in the legacy of Russian Suprematists, the De Stijl movement, American Minimalists, and developments in Non-Objectivity. These influences share a commitment to simple geometric forms, the primacy of pure artistic expression over illusionistic representation, and an emphasis on diverse modes of perception.

ABOUT TED LARSEN:

Ted Larsen (b. 1964, USA) is an internationally exhibited artist and a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant. He holds a BA from Northern Arizona University. His work offers commentary on the minimalist belief system and the ultimate significance of fine art practice. Since 2001, Larsen has incorporated alternative and reclaimed materials into the core of his artistic research.

Ted Larsen’s work has been extensively exhibited in American museums and private foundations, including the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, The Albuquerque Museum, The Amarillo Museum of Art, The Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin, Missouri, and The Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as in over 100 gallery exhibitions. He has received grants from the Surdna Foundation and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and has been an artist-in-residence with the Edward F. Albee Foundation and the Asilah Arts Festival in Morocco, where he was chosen to represent the American pavilion. His works are part of the collections of the New Mexico Museum of Art, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Proctor & Gamble, The Bolivian Consulate, Reader’s Digest, PepsiCo, the University of Miami, Texas, Krasel Art Center, Dreyfus Funds, JP Morgan Chase, Forbes, Lannan Foundation, the Palm Springs Art Museum, and Pioneer Hi-Bred, Inc.