hopes
1503 Duncan Ave
Chattanooga, TN
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Alex Kimball: Outdoor Cat
October 4th through November 21st
Across the street and to the right, three black cats sprawl across the steps. To the left, a large tabby sits on its haunches, legs outstretched, while another darts across the chain-link fence. A colony lives nearby, in the vacant lot off Greenwood Ave. They take notice as I walk past, but keep their distance.
Stepping back onto the porch, I imagine something soft weaves between my shins. There’s no easier pet, people say—food in exchange for pest control: the occasional mouse left on your doorstep. I imagine that’s how you know cats really care; they try to return the favor.
During a studio visit with Alex, I survey the objects strewn across the dirt floor: scissors, a fidget spinner, plastic stars. Alex sits with his back to the sloped wall, perched on a rock. His bright yellow Crocs remind me of a sun, with his tools and materials in orbit around him. I try to parse one from the other, tool from material. Either seems equally ripe for the picking; brush and paint are one and the same.
In my periphery, an orange cat slinks into the cave. I hear other footsteps pad softly overhead, too. Someone else must be home—likely Calloway, Alex’s partner. He tells me Calloway works at the artist reuse store in town and keeps an eye out for donations Alex might like—something shiny left at the top of the basement steps: scissors, some wrapping paper, a ceramic apple. Eventually we head upstairs, and out to the garden, where Calloway sits under an umbrella. On the table, there’s a bowl of squash.
I leave our visit thinking about partnership: mutual giving and taking. What do you have to give to get something good in return? Time, care? Tuna? I practice the act, sitting my phone on the kitchen table like a votive before heading upstairs to watch a movie. Later that night, I open a can of fish and leave it on the porch edge. The next morning, the can is licked clean.
Follow the steps: kneel on the floor and ask for magic, then keep watch for a glimmer or some faint noise above to let you know it worked. Make your offerings—the very best that you have—and hope the cat stays forever.
Alex glues a scrap of paper to the rock; the painting is set on a chair to dry. With time, it’s clear the painting will never move. It subsumes the chair; forms a greater whole. Nearby, on the studio floor, fallen stars wait quietly for a second life. Alex picks one up and places it back into an iridescent sky. Down below, a cat purrs; its stomach is full.
~
Alex Kimball is an artist and animator based in Nashville, TN. He assembles and sometimes paints objects. Kimball received his BFA in Painting and Film Studies from the University of Georgia and has exhibited at Electric Shed (TN), IF Gallery (KY), Elephant Gallery (TN), and Turnip Green Creative Reuse (TN).
Alongside Alex’s presentation in the dining room, the gallery will present Kimball’s animated short film, Valley of the Gods, in the crawl space, where it will play on loop throughout the run of the show, soundtracked by Temple of the Dog’s 1991 self-titled album.