We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kyle Fokken a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kyle, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents raised me with a strong work ethic and encouraged me to make artwork with whatever I had.

Since we had little money and no resources in my tiny rural home town (art classes were the first to be cut in high school) I had to be creative to look beyond conventional art materials in order to entertain myself. My mother would often draw with me and would leave little drawings of how to make human facial features in my sketchbook.

Living in a small town with little to do allowed me the freedom to explore my world without direct oversight. I was able to ride my bike to neighboring towns and in the countryside to explore fields, groves, creeks and railroad tracks.

Most importantly they instilled in me a tenaciousness to not give up and a strong work ethic to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Finally there were many many trips to the library. Books were my escape and a portal to discover new worlds and ideas.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a mixed media sculptor who melds diverse imagery into hybrid sculptures in order to create new cultural contexts.

I employ vintage ‘toy’ and ‘folk art’ aesthetics as a way to talk about the passing down of cultural values from one generation to the next. My goal is to entice the audience with ‘fun’ imagery that one sees in toys and folk art. This combined with a strong sense of craftsmanship and attention to detail allows the viewer to linger, be visually entranced and reflect on greater issues in our society and to question what we believe about ourselves and our environment.
I gravitated towards recycling found objects at an early age. I was a poor kid who would rescue other kids’ discarded plastic model airplanes, cars and ships from the trash to rework them. Since I could seldom afford to purchase kits, I would transform them into dioramas showing the wear and tear, battle scars or crash damage. I learned how to complement the models with found objects. This process of seeing beyond the initial use of an object helped me to think like an engineer and to look at all things with an eye towards its design and function.
Realizing the potential of an object that is separate from its original function is at the core of my ‘make do aesthetic’. This thought process is in league with people all over the world ‘making do’ with what they have by repurposing material to fit their needs. This is also a survival skill that my ancestors utilized when they first moved to Minnesota. It is the heart of folk art and cultural traditions that are also expressed through cooking, dance, fashion and belief.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I think the goal of every artist aside from making a living is to make a difference. What that means is different to every artist. I’ve always thought of artists as the ‘research and development’ arm of culture. Artists need to be free to try out new ideas, make mistakes and be controversial. Artists are also the proverbial ‘canary in the coal mine’ to alert the society as to what is happening within it. Unfortunately, those concepts don’t always equate into a good career selling work. I feel that I’m riding the ridge between what will get me paid and what I think I need to bring to the world. It is often very frustrating especially with public art in that you’re trying to bring something ‘edgy and meaningful’ to communities, yet it feels sometimes like they only want something decorative and safe. In a perfect world, artists would simply make work and people would buy it. That requires having the right type of work in front of the right audience, which can require a bit of luck. Of the public art commissions I have gotten, I am happy with the work I’ve made and also realize the need to complement the area where the work is placed. Public art is for everyone. I just wish there was more trust in the artist and their capabilities.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society can best help artists by giving them more opportunities with less ‘strings attached’. The creative process is tenacious as a weed and as beautiful as wildflowers and artists will create their work whether they get paid or not. The work just has to come out and be realized and enjoyed. It’s interesting to see all the artworks that were merely graffiti are now ‘artwalls’ in luxury condominiums. Some artists have been paid or ‘tamed’ to have work in these environments or in many cases simply ripped off. Many of these developers have found that artwork creates a vibe and a sense of place and it would be wonderful if more communities would embrace it by incorporating more artwork – particularly sculpture- into their properties. I have seen the changes in so many communities that have embraced interesting public art. Many of these changes are in regards to a safer environment, a vibrant street scene and an economic boom to their local economies. I feel that the best public artworks are iconic and interesting and challenge the minds of the viewer.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kylefokken.com
• Instagram: kfokkenart
• Facebook: Kyle Fokken – Artist
• Linkedin: Kyle Fokken

Image Credits
Kyle Fokken Artist photographs