In his second solo project at Re:View Contemporary Gallery, artist and designer Andy Kem presents Interlocker, an intimate exploration of the physical act of assembling and creating abstract connections in order to form complex functional pieces.

Kem’s ability to artistically manipulate natural and renewable resources such as Birch Plywood, cork and maple has made him synonymous with Detroit’s legacy as a city where people make things. Emerging at the intersection of art and design, technology, and materials, Kem’s unique aesthetic language is presented in its full expression in his latest exhibit.

Artist Statement:

"I moved to Detroit over a decade ago to pursue a design education. Through my education here, and creative experiences beyond, I find myself reveling in the critical thinking that 3-dimensional design requires and how history, technology, and materials can inspire the process.

My overall concentration lies in designing and building functional objects and spatial sculpture, which I am drawn to by the complex challenges presented by the proportions and structures necessitated by its use. I have been exploring two directions in my lastest works, though both have a common emphasis on materials and process. One direction explores more traditional craft techniques but interpreted in non-traditional ways, and the other direction is targeted at using digital tools to enable and realize new forms and interactions amongst their constituent parts. I generally work with wood, man-made wood products, plastics/rapid prototyping and the occasional found object."

- Andy Kem