Eli Pupovac
Dimensions: 12" x 5'7” x 10’8"
Location: North of 55th on Roe Blvd - Center Median (#3 Map)
Sunny Side Up
The majority of my work has always been developed with intensions for public art. Public mi is an artist's vision and sensibility merging with the values and foresight of a community. It is my feelings that an artists approach to public art can be demonstrated along two different avenues of expression. There is the public artist that develops a process and elaborates on it, refining and honing it to perfection, a maker of product. The other, an artist that engage in different types of public art. This is the direction I pursue with my work. I welcome different processes and work laterally across many disciplines. Each project has its own set of constraints and opportunities. My work results in installations, sculpture, site-specific work, interactive events, painting and prints. The idea is my motivating force to accomplish the piece and the passion of creating brings it to closure.
Sunny side Up was originally conceived as a floatation project while I was attending The Kansas City Art Institute. Since then, it has been exhibited at a private sculpture garden outside of Archie Missouri and, also, at The Holden Art Farm in Holden Missouri. Both of these settings were in a grassy landscaped area and were received extremely favorably. It is finished with painted stucco concrete and has a substructure of aluminum lathe, Styrofoam and wood. Much of my work tends to have this whimsical nature to it. I think I enjoy making people smile. Sunny side up reflects a strong influence of minimalism along with the pop culture. In replicating every day objects (in this case food) on a grander scale, in the public realm, I target a broader audience, mass culture if you will, and it is a fun addition to public art.
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Bio
I am an emerging artist and a 2006 graduate of The Kansas Art Institute, with a major in sculpture. I am a father of three and have spent most of my life living in and around Chicago, where I was born. Presently I have been living in Holden Missouri for the last four years.
I originally studied art at Northern Illinois University in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While attending Northern Illinois University, I studied sculpture and was introduced to casting, welding and working with resins. My work reflects the influences of this time in my life through minimalism, conceptualism, earthworks and pop art. I also owned and operated a small coffee house/ restaurant/ arts center in Dekalb, Illinois at this time. After leaving Northern Illinois University, I worked in industrial environments for ten years and then commercial and industrial construction for 20 years. Upon moving to the Kansas City area, to be with my fiancé, a native Kansas Cityian, I saw an opportunity to realize a dream I've always had of returning to school and obtaining my BFA.
Presently I am a teaching assistant in the sculpture department at the Kansas City Art Institute. Also this past year I have become the co-founder and co-director of a nonprofit, community based, art center called The Holden Art Farm. It is located on our ten-acre farm within Holden Missouri city limits. The Holden Art Farm promotes the creation and understanding of visual arts to the surrounding communities, while offering a supportive environment with opportunities for artist, teachers and students to realize their potential. My home and my studio are located at The Art Farm, where I spend most of my time. My work has been shown at solo and group shows in and around Kansas City. I also enjoy painting and printing, but my real passion lies in the making of three-dimensional work. I have expectations of continuing with my art in the public realm, as well as galleries, and look forward to the future.