Kuhne’s body of work on exhibition investigates the overlooked architecture of the Capital Region and Mohawk Valley, from abandoned factories and aging storefronts to neglected homes that quietly bear witness to the region’s industrial past. These structures, often dismissed as blight, are central to the visual and cultural identity of what is commonly called the “Rust Belt” and the key subject matter to Kuhne’s work.

In Albany, there is a coined phrase “demolition by neglect” used to describe the slow loss of historic buildings through deferred maintenance and abandonment. Rather than being intentionally preserved or thoughtfully replaced, these structures are allowed to deteriorate until the structures either demolish themselves or are demolished because they are beyond repair. This work emerges in response to the ongoing phenomena seen in Albany and throughout the “Rust Belt”.

Drawn to weathered surfaces and improvised repairs, Kuhne approaches these buildings not as ruins, but as living records in which he can preserve through watercolor and sculpture. Layers of peeling paint, rusted metal, and shifting light reveal the histories of labor, community, and the evolutionary changes that accompany them.

Kuhne responds to the immediate conditions of light, color, and atmosphere, at the site and continually revisits the sites, developing a unique character of each painting. He is creating a coexistence of past and present through observation and refined technique throughout Kevin Kuhne: Bygone Framework.

Kevin Kuhne
Beechnut Factory, 2019

Made possible by the support of the New York State Council On the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.