Tapeworks, Walker Fee Artist's Reception, U Gallery, 221 E 2nd St. June 9, 2006

Packing, surgical, duct, gaffers, scotch, electrical, masking: such are the kinds of tape you could find at any hardware store. Such are the materials that Walker Fee uses to create his art. Undeterred by classical notions of what makes art, Fee has re-envisioned both the concept of objet d’art and the use of common adhesive tape. At the age of twenty, Walker Fee might first appear like any young artist – energetic, enthusiastic, confident and single minded - but Fee is all too aware of those who have come before him. “I carefully examine artists from every era to learn how they told their stories, and only after I’ve seen what has been done can I now tell the same stories my own way,” says Fee, explaining how he approaches his art. And thus, his sophisticated prints made entirely of cardboard (Is it Cardboard? Or what Material?) and the layering of different types of tape, are not intended as a mockery or satire. Instead, they are a 21st century reflection of the progression of art through the centuries. At first glance, a novice eye would not recognize the medium to be tape. The process itself was discovered by Fee out of “boredom.” One of his part-time jobs, packing boxes at a photo studio, involved an abundance of cardboard, tape and time. The process might seem deceivingly simple. Fee begins by covering the surface of a piece of cardboard with one type of tape, which is often the piece’s defining color and often a primary color. He continues by adding layers of masking tape to create the defining lines. Once the skeleton layer of the image has been established, more tape is layered and cut until the finished piece features a vast array of value and it is often impossible to perceive the original medium.

The Artist’s reception for Tapeworks, a solo show by Walker Fee, will be held Friday June 9th from 7 - 11pm at U Gallery, 221 East 2nd Street. For more information about U Gallery or its founder Darius Grubala visit www.ugallery.com. For more information about Walker Fee please visit www.walkerfee.com . To place a commission or purchase an original Walker Fee work of art call 646.331.2506.

Official Website: http://www.walkerfee.com