Karen Kilimnik’s winter wonderland

Christmas service for the forest pets, 2008.
Courtesy of the artist, 303 Gallery, New York, and South Etna Montauk.

If you’re ready for some art, that delivers a different kind of holiday vibe, Karen Kilimnik’s solo exhibition Christmas Service for the Forest Pets is the right fit. Her art blends elements of fairy tales, history, myths, bridging the Romantic tradition and consumer culture. Karen Kilimnik established her place as a forerunner in the realm of "scatter art"—large gallery installations of seemingly random and scattered popular culture debris. For this exhibition on view from November 20th through January 21st in South Etna gallery, the artist will create the “winter wonderland” environment herself once again. Expect paintings, photographs, and sculptures made between 1999 and 2020. It’s shaped as an immersive experience, with the faux-Tudor style building that hoses South Etna Montauk adding to the atmosphere.

Curator Alison M. Gingeras explains that “Christmas Service for the Forest Petswill be something akin to a walk-in snow globe. Once under the glass dome, it doesn’t matter that what’s inside is fake. We are still beguiled by the same genuine sense of magic and reverie that we get from shaking the globe.” For art lovers outside Montauk, turn on some holiday tunes, grab a glass of hot mulled wine or cocoa, and head to the gallery’s website or social media to take a glance at some of Karen Kilimnik’s works and the installation at South Etna.