The Nihilist

Kevin McKenzie
July 16, 2016

Reception to follow

Introduction

In this highly calibrated, technological age, The Nihilist, confronts the perception of a universal human existence bound by routine and monotony, integrated by repetitive activities. In this work, McKenzie explores the territory between two ages of industrial and technological civilization which drives him towards a state of chaos, mayhem and destablization. The solo performance takes place over the course of 45 minutes and is a slow build towards a primal, dark and ritualistic action that annihilates the façades that modern man builds to cloak grim realities in service of the human spirit. Visually and philosophically influenced by the films of the German Expressionists, punk rock music and nihilism, this neo-noir apocalyptic performance subscribes to the notion that the passion to destroy is a creative passion.

Biography

Kevin McKenzie is a Cree/Métis from Regina, Saskatchewan. He is a descendent of the O’Soup family from the Cowessess First Nation of Saskatchewan. He has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Saskatchewan Arts Board and the First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation. Creative Saskatchewan selected his work to be represented at SOFA Chicago in 2015. He has participated in residencies at The Banff Centre for the Arts, the Indian Art Centre in Ottawa, Sâkêwêwak First Nations Artist Collective and currently the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Regina.

McKenzie’s artwork is included in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the MacKenzie Art Gallery, The Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Art Gallery, Manitoba Hydro Corporation, First Nations University of Canada, Comox Valley Art Gallery and the Saskatchewan Arts Board. He has a permanent public sculpture in Whistler, British Columbia commissioned by VANOC Cultural Olympiad 2010.

Kevin is currently living and working in Regina, Saskatchewan, where his multidisciplinary art practice is constantly evolving.