You don’t often see a brightly colored nylon strolling along Broadway and bouncing against restaurant windows.
That’s why Jimmy Kuehnle, sculptor and performance artist, likes to do it. Human beings quickly get used to seeing even extraordinary things and quit thinking about them.
“What I do is meant to be fun and thought-provoking, not something you see everyday,” he said.
An exhibit of his inflated sculpture, titled “Things Bigger Than People,” opened Thursday, with huge bright red and yellow shapes filling both the Harry Krug and University Galleries at Porter Hall, Pittsburg State University. They will remain on view through Feb. 26.
Kuehnle sews together shapes of nylon coated with plastic. “Air does leak out through the seams, so you have to run a cold-air inflator constantly,” he said.
He admitted that the pieces strongly resemble the bouncy houses or castles enjoyed by children, but there are differences. “Those bouncy castles have a function,” the artist said.
Also, they’re much more durable than his sculptures. “I’m putting up a sign telling people that they should not jump on the sculptures,” said S. Portico Bowman, PSU gallery director.
He presented a lecture Thursday, and also took to the streets in his inflated cube suit, which he calls “You Wear What I Wear.” Kuehnle started on the PSU Oval, visited some campus buildings, then headed for downtown Pittsburg.
“This is really a part of me, I’m offering myself up in a way,” the artist said. “Almost always people smile and laugh. My favorites are the stoic, staunch businessmen who are determined not to smile. They all break down. The only time somebody does have a bad reaction, I figure they’re just having a bad day.”
He said he has done his performances in big cities and small towns, and in Japan, where he went on a Fulbright Grant.
“I did it once in St. Louis, at the old courthouse,” Kuehnle said. “I was banging around the columns, and the police were taking photos of me with their cell phones. When the police see me in my inflated suit, they usually ask me if I need any help, if they can be of assistance, if I have any problems with the traffic.”
Paul Smith, retired PSU professor, rearranged his schedule so he could encounter Kuehnle. “This guy appeals to me — the absurd part,” he said.
Kuehnle, who is in the process of moving to San Antonio, Texas, with his wife, artist Mimi Kato, said he had enjoyed being in Pittsburg.
“What I do is a two-way street, and I get something from it, too,” he said. “I got a ride back from Broadway from a wonderful woman who saw me and asked why I do this. I said I tried to brighten up things for people who are having a bad day, and she told me that her water had just been turned off. I made her day, and she made my day, too.”
PITTSBURG —
