For me, my childhood was full of hope and wonder. I create because that is the thing that most connects me and keeps me present in the world where everything was still possible. There is value in the various mythologies and histories of younger and also ancient cultures because in a sense they remain connected to the childhood of the human species, a time when the world was still a spiritual place, not compartmentalized and cut off from itself. In humanity’s pursuit of knowledge, I feel that we have desensitized and sanitized an important part of our beings.
The kinds of things that I make are all integrated with the things I received in my childhood, the legends, myths, fables, fairytales, old Polish traditional songs and cartoons which became my own personal kind of religious symbolism, they made much more sense to me than any organized institutional things I was exposed to. I created elaborate fantasy worlds ever since I can remember, learning from the way my parents told my siblings and me stories.
This story-saturated background is the water of my inspiration, and as I explore further into various other realms of cultures I take their lore into this sea. Seeking knowledge is as much part of my craft as is the actual physical process; I make my sculptures several times over in my head until I feel that I have the right vision.
KIMBA FRANCES KERNER 