Richard Kamler Final Meal Requests Mixed Media Installation 9 Ft
$4,800.00
A substantial mixed-media installation measuring over 9 feet high titled "Menu: Final Meal Request by Inmates Executed in Texas," names from 1995 to June 3, 1997 by late San Francisco artist Richard Kamler (American 1935–2017). The installation features a tall panel of hand-cut lead metal sheeting mounted to an exposed wood slab support, with a heavy galvanized-metal banding strip and bolted hardware along the top edge. The lead metal surface is stenciled in bold spray paint with a bold red lettered followed by a tabulated list in black stenciled text recording the name, execution date, and final meal request of each inmate. The lead surface has been authentically weathered, creased, and torn along its edges in a way that appears intentional to the work's industrial salvage style. Accompanying the panel are two rectangular stools with a matching fabricated metal-over-wood construction, with an intentionally heavily distressed finish with visible nail heads and raised inscriptions reading "punish" and "abolish" respectively. The installation belongs to Kamler's "Last Meals" series, in which Kamler recreated and documented the final meal requests of condemned inmates. Kamler was best known for decades of socially engaged, prison-themed work including his landmark "Table of Voices" project and a two-year residency as an artist-in-residence at San Quentin State Prison. The two benches measure approximately 23.5" wide, 12" deep, and 19" tall. Kamler approaches his practice from the premise that art is, and can be, a catalyst for engagement. “Art is our one true global language. It knows no nation, it favors no race, and it acknowledges no class.”
— Richard Kamler
Dimensions: 48"w x 2"d x 111.5"h
Circa: 20th Century, United States
Materials: Lead, Metal, Paint, Wood
Condition: Distressed, minor wear consistent with age and use. Intentionally distressed condition inherent to the character of the piece. Wear includes oxidation, toning, tears, frayed edges, scuffs, stains, and losses throughout as seen in photos. Benches are not stable or functional. Contains Lead.
