This article first appeared in the June/July 2015 issue of Organic Hudson Valley.

Henry Klimowicz makes art out of cardboard, an unexpected concept, yet beautiful in practice. He uses the cardboard to build pieces that are in tune with nature, using its inspiration to create their unique look, something Klimowicz feels people can relate to. It is that aspect of his creations that makes him particularly enjoy working with cardboard. The elements of nature are visible in the pieces, which often look like ordinary things from nature, such as twigs or metal, at first glance.

“The way that I make things has its origin in many of the same ways that nature uses,” Klimowicz said. “I start with little pieces and build up to make bigger pieces.” He takes his cue from natural processes and actions, such as the way beehives and wasps’ nests are formed, and the way the wind blows across the grass.

Klimowicz began working with cardboard when he lived in a small space in Brooklyn. “I thought of art classes I had taken that used cardboard because it’s cheap and readily available,” Klimowicz said. “There’s certainly plenty of material around. At the same time, I was interested in changing a pattern I had gotten into. I was depicting things in nature. I was depicting things like water, and I would use tinfoil to make something that was like water. I wasn’t feeling comfortable with those associations and I wanted to be more in charge of what I was making. Cardboard helped me do that.”

As cardboard itself does not have any inherent value, Klimowicz enjoys the idea that any cultural value that his pieces gain are a result of what he did during the creative process. “It’s this very limited material so whatever the outcome, it’s because of something I did,” Klimowicz said. “What I do is fairly transformative. Through my actions, it becomes something else. Socially, it’s a powerful statement to take garbage and make it into something that feels very special. I also like that it’s accessible. The material itself is accessible and when people come to look at it they often have their very own personal connection to the stuff. They’ve actually touched it, they’ve actually handled cardboard before. They see that it’s something they can do, too.”

Klimowicz has seen children gain inspiration from his work, and decide they want to go home and make something similar. In that way, his work reminds everyone that beauty can be made out of anything.

“The work is very accessible,” Klimowicz said. “People seem to relate to it when they see it. Maybe it’s because of how closely I mimic the process of nature. We all have familiarity with that and that allows people to move into the work in a way that is often not the case with art.”

The art show at The Moviehouse will feature Klimowicz’s work. The show, “Speaking to Nature: The Sculpture of Henry Klimowicz” will include a site-specific piece that is inspired by a sea dragon. “Will the thing I make look like sea dragons?” Klimowicz said. “No, it won’t. It’s a stepping off spot. The pieces flow out of nature, but they aren’t really that, they are themselves.”

Speaking to Nature: The Sculpture of Henry Klimowicz
Location: the Moviehouse Studio Gallery
Saturday April 11 – July 9, 2015