Phyllis Kind Gallery - Exhibitions

Phyllis Kind Gallery is honored to present an exhibition of Dan Keplinger, AKA King Gimp, February 28th thru March 20th. (A reception for the artist will be held on Wednesday, March 3rd from 5–7pm.) The recent paintings and works on paper are a quantum leap into empowerment.

Keplinger's life was documented in King Gimp — the 1999 Short Documentary Academy Award® winner by Susan Hadary and William Whiteford, written by Dan Keplinger. Dan had a show at the Phyllis Kind Gallery in 2000 to coincide with the debut of the film, shown exclusively on HBO. He has since had a second solo show at the Phyllis Kind Gallery in 2002.

The Discovery Health Channel will air King Gimp along with a seven-minute update that chronicles Keplinger's life since the Oscars. Either the entire film or the new segment alone can be seen at the exhibition.

The 31 year-old painter is severely challenged in both his speech and body movements, as a result of Cerebral Palsy. He has invented an astonishing method of painting using a head-band with a brush attached. Not only has he invented an uncanny means of producing this work, but also in he has invented his own personal vocabulary, which is self consistent and has range.

Like his life this new body of work is about challenge, risk taking and liberation. As a twelve year old boy he invented the "sport" of pitching himself off the roof of the garage. "It immediately appealed to me," he says "the risk, the unknown, the feeling of freedom. I knew what I had to do! Climb to the edge again and again, then over the edge for the rush of a fearless fall through space." Each of these powerful paintings are infused with wonderment and joy even as they tell a tale of challenge, tribulation and empowerment.

Concurrently on exhibition February 21 thru April 10, Keplinger has his first solo show in his native Towson at The Fleckenstein Gallery. The exhibition will include etchings, lithographs and paintings that portray the intensity of Keplinger's soul and life experience. A public reception will be held in Maryland on March 10th from 5–9pm.