BRLSQ Spotlight Series: Courtney Reints

On Saturday February 15th, we are very proud to present the grand opening of Moving Skin, a series of photographs from Minneapolis artist Courtney Reints. Here's what she has to say about this striking series of taxidermal images.

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A making, a forming, a creation from remnants to mounts, taxidermy is the arrangement of skin. After the kill, hunters want to preserve their relic, taking care in the field to acquire and retain a good trophy hide. Dedicated to the art, a taxidermist utilizes skills crucial to crafts of carpentry, sculpting and painting. The animal’s core is replaced, transferring the peel like skin to a new form of artificial armature. The liberated hide is scrapped, tanned, sewn, mounted and finished with hand painted coats and glass eyes.

Seized during nature’s docile moments, taxidermy can resurrect an animal’s form as a symbol of achievement, the ultimate document of a hunt’s fortune. An authentic record of antler, feather and flesh. These inert fragments reveal the evocatively raw and elegantly beautiful nature of nature. After an animal has passed, its body is returned back into the world.

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Moving Skin
at CO Exhibitions (1101 Stinson Blvd, NE Minneapolis)
February 15 - March 7, 2014
Opening reception: February 15, 7-10pm
Free admission, all ages
For more information, call (612) 379-4151

Courtney Reints is a fiscal year 2013 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.