Why is there something rather than nothing?
Rudy Shepherd

For The Emily K Iseman Project for the Wellbeing of Humans and Artists Gallery for the Exploration of the Experience of Existence and the Nature of the Universe, I created a new series of wall hung ceramic objects based around the idea of healing. I first began thinking about the relationship between objects and our beliefs in ideologies, philosophies and religions more than a decade ago. In 2006, I created a series of sculptures called the Black Rock Negative Energy Absorbers; a group of sculptures meant to remove negative energy from people allowing them to respond to life with the more positive aspects of their personality. This project continued with Healing Devices, a series of ceramic sculptures that look similar to everyday home objects in our home, but offer a different function. This work has been an exploration into the power of art and the power of belief. I’m interested in how the things we believe in shape our lives. With this new series, I am offering up my artwork as a tool to better your life, to counter the vast unsolvable problems of our world. I see no better place to continue this exploration and offer a new series of healing sculptures than The Emily K Iseman Project for the Wellbeing of Humans and Artists Gallery for the Exploration of the Experience of Existence and the Nature of the Universe, an institution dedicated to tackling the big questions: Why are we here, and what the hell are we supposed to be doing?

The soundtrack for this exhibition is Timewave Zero by Blood Incantations. It is a collection of music that speaks to the way it feels to be alive at this current moment in time with moments both sublime and horrific, tragic and miraculous.

Rudy Shepherd received a BS in Biology and Studio Art from Wake Forest University and an MFA in Sculpture from the School of Art Institute of Chicago. He has been in solo exhibitions at Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, CT, Latchkey Gallery, NY, Mixed Greens Gallery, NY, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY, Regina Miller Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA and group exhibitions at MoMA PS1, NY, The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, Bronx Museum of Art, NY, Art in General, NY, Triple Candie, NY, Socrates Sculpture Park, NY, Cheekwood Museum of Art, TN, Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, MD, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, CT, Southeastern Center of Contemporary Art, NC, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL, Tart Gallery, San Francisco, CA and Analix Forever Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland. He has been awarded Artist in Residence at PS1 National/International Studio Program, PS1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, NY, Artist in Residence Visual + Harlem, Jacob Lawrence Institute for the Visual Arts, New York, N, Emerging Artist Fellowship, Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY, Artist in Residence, Location One, NY, Process Space Artist in Residence Program Governors Island, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York, NY. He has done public art projects on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, Penn State University, PA at Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY, First Street Green Art Park, New York, NY and the Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, PA in 2015 and in Harlem in collaboration with the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Rudy Shepherd is currently represented by Kates-Ferri Project, NYC.
https://www.katesferriprojects.com/