Larry and Debby Kline artists and provocateurs – installation, performances, and other works

San Diego Union Tribune, “Beliz Iristay finds that in America, ‘the artist part of me has really flourished,’” by Martina Schimitschek, September 16, 2018
San Diego Union Tribune, “Beliz Iristay finds that in America, 'the artist part of me has really flourished,'” by Martina Schimitschek, September 16, 2018

After the failed military coup of 2016 in Turkey, Iristay designed 55 rehals (the x-shaped bookrests for the Quran) and filled them with small minarets. Titled “Oku | Read,” the rehals are covered with military cards used by soldiers to keep track of their service days. The translucent cast-resin minarets are in jumbled disarray. The piece, part of the San Diego Art Institute’s exhibition “Beyond the Age of Reason,” warns of ignorance.

Art and Cake LA, “Beyond the Age of Reason at the San Diego Art Institute,” by Genie Davis, September 13, 2018.
Art and Cake LA, “Beyond the Age of Reason at the San Diego Art Institute,” by Genie Davis, September 13, 2018.

“Myth is open to interpretation, and unfortunately, so are truths, but they are still the underpinnings of religious belief. The nuances of belief can either unite or divide individual, families and nations. The nuances can lead to peace or more often, war,” the Klines relate. “We believe -pun intended – that the artists reflect the larger populace that struggles with the concept of belief.”

Art and Cake LA, “Final Round Up: Studio System 2 at Torrance Art Museum,” By Lawrence Gipe, August 8, 2018.
Art and Cake LA, “Final Round Up: Studio System 2 at Torrance Art Museum,”  By Lawrence Gipe, August 8, 2018.

Conceptual power-couple Debby and Larry Kline worked on five different projects during SS2 including the crowd-pleasing Poor, Poor Artist, which asked the public for stock tips (the Klines had invested their $500 stipend from the residency into the market).

Smithsonian Magazine, “The Dispossessed,” by Anna Diamond, July 2018.
Smithsonian Magazine, “The Dispossessed,” by Anna Diamond, July 2018.

Although this article was not specifically written about “Beyond the Age of Reason,” Smithsonian’s feature article on Wayne Martin Belger and his “Us and Them” project was published just days before our exhibition opened. Since the “Beyond the Age of Reason,” exhibition is the first time that “Us and Them” has been publicly exhibited, we felt it important to include the article here. To read the complete story, please visit SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE, “The Dispossessed,” by Anna Diamond, July 2018.

“Beyond the Age of Reason,” at San Diego Art Institute, curated by Debby and Larry Kline
"Beyond the Age of Reason," at San Diego Art Institute, curated by Debby and Larry Kline

San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park Presents: Beyond the Age of Reason
Dates: September 1–October 31, 2018
Member Reception: Saturday, September 15 from 5pm-6pm
Public Reception: Saturday, September 15 from 6pm-8pm
The museum is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am-5pm, Wednesday 10am-8pm,
Saturday-Sunday 12pm-5pm

NO LONGER HIDDEN! DesEscondido BEGINS! & OH MY GODS! BEYOND THE AGE OF REASON CONTINUES!
NO LONGER HIDDEN!  DesEscondido  BEGINS!  &  OH MY GODS!  BEYOND THE AGE OF REASON  CONTINUES!

Simultaneous exhibitions at San Diego Art Institute and California Center for the Arts Museum!

We will be showing our “Post-Apocalyptic Coffeehouse” as well as thirty-nine drawings from our latest series, “Tiny Revolutions,” which have never been seen in San Diego at California Center for the Arts Museum. These tiny “acts of defiance” are hand-drawn graphite images ranging in size from ½” x ½” to 2 ½” x 2 ½.”

Beyond the Age of Reason continues at San Diego Art Institute featuring works by 20 artists including Eleanor Antin, Wayne Martin Belger, Michelangelo Buonarroti, de la Torre Brothers, Ruben Ochoa and Erika Rothenberg. Curated by Debby and Larry Kline.

Art and Cake, “The Candy Store and Something Extra at Shoebox Projects,” By Genie Davis, June 24, 2018.
Art and Cake, "The Candy Store and Something Extra at Shoebox Projects," By Genie Davis, June 24, 2018.

The collaborative couple have created an astonishing installation work that is both political and beautiful; it is experiential and a passionate protest. Viewers here are participants shopping in this candy store, searching for a cure not just for our own sicknesses, but that of society.

Art and Cake, “Studio Systems II at Torrance Art Museum: Half-Time,” by Larry Gipe, June 18, 2018.
Art and Cake, "Studio Systems II at Torrance Art Museum: Half-Time," by Larry Gipe, June 18, 2018.

Debby and Larry Kline take on the social and environmental issues of the day in a variety of projects including Tiny Revolutions (pictured here) – small pencil on paper works that pack a big punch. A chalkboard on site lists the myriad pieces that are underway.

San Diego Jewish World, “Science meets art at the Natural History Museum,” By Donald H. Harrison, March 26, 2018.
San Diego Jewish World, "Science meets art at the Natural History Museum," By Donald H. Harrison, March 26, 2018.

Artists Larry and Debby Kline have been involved in a pair of collaborations with scientists, including a current engagement as artists in residence at San Diego’s Natural History Museum in Balboa Park, where they are updating the work of 19th-century ornithologist John James Audubon’s “Birds of America” portfolio.