38.1 x 7.62 x 25.4 cm
Catharine Clark Gallery presents It's Not Dark Yet, a solo exhibition of new sculptures by Al Farrow, on view in the South Gallery from June 6 - August 15, 2026.
Join us for an opening reception on Saturday, June 6 from 3 - 5pm.
Artist statement:
After deciding to end my Reliquary Series a year and a half ago, I found myself with a lot of leftover materials. I have always been playful with whatever materials I work with, so I decided to play with these leftovers—creating whatever they suggested without buying anything more. Just like being creative with leftovers in the kitchen, I combined elements in new ways to create things I had never thought of before.
I started by making the gun heads, but soon after, I began making skulls; first human, then animal. I had fun creating these odd pieces, but after several were done, I realized that for me they were memento mori (reminders of death). This aligns with a couple thousand years of tradition in art, from the ancient Romans through the Renaissance and Medieval periods to contemporary times.
I have a large table in my studio on which I put hundreds of guns and gun parts. Coming to work every day, I would look at the materials and start moving them around to create various juxtapositions, changing them until they suggested something interesting.
Since I learned about Violins of Hope, I have wanted to make a violin out of guns. After making several skulls, I started looking at the potential of using violent materials to create musical instruments.
This body of work allowed the full exercise of my creativity, presented unique challenges, offered fun, and utilized all the skills I have developed over the years
