Fool’s Errand

For its inaugural exhibition, Blumka Contemporary is thrilled to present Fool's Errand, a two-person show by Colton Kruizenga and Justin Cole. The title of the exhibition emerged from an ongoing dialogue between the two emerging artists about their creative practices and obsessions. It came from reflecting on the world that surrounds them, their creative pursuits, and the belief in the lasting potential and importance of daydreaming, imagination, and artistic production.

While delving into a wide range of art historical references, both artists incorporate figuration and abstraction in their works. They use various techniques to render expressionistic portrayals of emotion while calling for in-depth observation and leaving space for the viewer’s experience to unfold. Colton Kruizenga’s pieces are meticulously made through longer spans of time. The particular ways of employing graphite, chalk, charcoal, and pastel allow for the creation of numerous shades and planes in order to achieve intriguing atmospheres. Most often, the artist focuses on a singular figure, or highlights particular body parts against a neutral, abstract background. The treatment of light and shadow adds to the dramatic atmosphere in each work, allowing the eye to discover focal points, and minute details as well as tension in the poses and facial expressions of the depicted characters.

Justin Cole is a visual artist working primarily in painting and drawing. The exhibition features a selection of works from his monochromatic series titled res cogitans. The title of the series is a New Latin term coined by the philosopher, René Descartes, referring to mind and consciousness – the mental realm – to be distinguished from the physical world. The paintings combine the intrinsic narrative of figuration with the raw, approximate language of abstract expressionism. More emotionally stimulating rather than stringently narrative, they touch on human condition, levels of consciousness, and death.