Writ Against The Sun

Casey Curran

Heron Arts is pleased to announce the third solo exhibition Writ Against the Sun from Seattle-based artist Casey Curran. Casey Curran’s artwork combines intricate mechanical movements with poetic storytelling, contemplating the delicate balance between nature and technology. This new collection delves into the complexities of human experience, drawing inspiration from historical narratives and the natural world. The opening reception for Writ Against the Sun is Saturday, June 15th, 2024 from 6-9pm. It is free and open to the public. The exhibition will be on view to the public until July 20th by appointment only.

Writ Against the Sun is a look into humanity’s relationship with technology and the natural world. In his intricate kinetic sculptures, which mix brass wire with blooming laser cut flowers, Curran questions the impact of technological advancement on our lives and environment. The exhibition’s title evokes the myth of Icarus, a cautionary tale about the potential dangers of overreaching ambition. Curran uses these universal tales to consider the past while invoking futurism and fantasy.

Writ Against the Sun will feature a series of new sculptural works and fashion garments, culminating in a large-scale installation. Visitors will witness delicate wings fluttering, flowers blooming, and intricate structures moving in harmony - all illustrating Curran’s fascination with the mechanics of nature and the poetic beauty of simple movements. The sculptural pieces are inspired by the imagination of flight and humanity's fascination with realms that challenge our natural existence. They reflect our relentless pursuit of innovation, our desire to transcend our earthly limitations.

The fashion garments, intricately linked to the sculptural works that play off and inspire one another, propose new forms and relationships between the body, psychology, and built environment. They reveal how fashion can extend both our physical and psychological boundaries.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a large installation, titled “Icarus”, depicting the fallen visage of Icarus and his fateful encounter with the sun. This work symbolizes the profound and often perilous intersection of ambition and reality.

Icarus, entranced by the allure of uncharted technology, flew too close to the sun, resulting in his tragic demise. This narrative extends Curran’s ongoing inquiry into our capacities for growth and collapse. The installation will feature towering structures, composed around a fully articulated skeleton, encased in a tar-like substance and gold leaf. These elements are part of a kinetic sculpture of Icarus, dynamically capturing the harrowing moments of his descent just before his inevitable crash back to the Earth.

This is Casey Curran’s third solo exhibition at Heron Arts. Casey received his BFA in painting and sculpture from Cornish College of the Arts in 2006. He has completed several large-scale public works in partnership with Skanska Architects, MadArt, Facebook, Oculus Rift, and Security Properties. In 2022 Curran’s Daphne sculpture served as the backdrop to Iris van Herpen’s Paris Fashion Week Runway show. In 2010 and 2013, Curran was awarded the NY Sculpture Space residency twice, and has received multiple awards in artistic merit since. In 2008, Curran become a key collaborator in the internationally recognized performance art group Saint Genet developing large-scale interactive sets, which have been exhibited at The Guggenheim Museum in NY, The Kunsthalle Museum in Krems, Austria, Luminato Festival in Toronto, Canada, and Frye Art Museum in Seattle, WA.