On View from January 15- February 26, 2024.
Artist Statement
I thought I would have something worked out by now.
Perhaps a clear and concise answer to what you are looking at.
Something that connects you to a concept that you read somewhere or heard on a podcast.
My works are not mere artistic objects; they are mediums for the unexplainable.
Or more plainly I am searching for something miraculous.
-My sculptures serve as both physical and conceptual frameworks, offering a sanctuary amidst the chaos, a space where the subtle poetry of existence gains clarity. This journey begins the moment we form ideas, categorizing everything into definable segments, yet my goal is to transcend these confines.
Rule 1: Defy Gravity, reframe reality.
It recently came to attention that we left the Lunar Module on the moon.
This act, a blend of practical necessity and symbolic gesture, is a dichotomy of human progress: the simultaneous capacity for monumental achievements and the acceptance of their transient impact.
This seems to be both beautiful and horrible.
The final Frontier and our first gesture is destruction.
Apollo, the ancient Greek god of music, light, and knowledge, and the Apollo space missions, a monumental series of NASA-led endeavors that marked humanity’s first steps on the moon.
-Time traveler… historian… and scientist.
Rule 2: Kill your darlings.
In disrupting the linear narrative, I try to fold time and ritual into a circular continuum.
Think independently, remain curious, and nurture my ideas and fixations.
Explore identity, religion, mysticism, and history but also to challenge and reshape them.
-You are going to leave this place better than you found it, or at least try.
Rule 3: Don’t waste things.
I grapple with the implications of art in the face of potential human extinction.
My work is a meditation on our role, acknowledging our contribution to both creation and destruction. It is a pursuit to reconcile our impact while still harboring hope in the profound human need for art.
A lullaby to our spirit in the face of the impermanence of life.
Biography
Cody Henrichs was born and raised in Southwestern Minnesota. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in Saint Paul in Fine Art and Biblical studies. In 2011 Henrichs was accepted into the Rhode Island School of Design MFA program for sculpture as the Presidential Scholar. He received his MFA in Sculpture in 2013.
While in graduate school Henrichs received a national endowment for the arts grant, for a large-scale public installation in Providence Rhode Island. Upon graduation Henrichs signed with a New York gallery, and was awarded an outstanding achievement in contemporary sculpture award from the International Sculpture center.
In 2014 Henrichs and his family moved back to Minnesota and he took a position at the University of Minnesota. During the next five years Henrichs started a Non-Profit arts exhibition and residency program (Coffey Contemporary Arts) ran and operated Lord Grizzly Gallery, taught High School and College courses, and continued an active art practice.
In July of 2019 Henrichs was hired at the Washington Pavilion as the Head Curator and Director of Collections and Exhibitions for The Visual Arts Center (an AAM accredited institution). During his time at the Pavilion he curated nearly 150 exhibitions.
He has exhibited work in New York, Portland Oregon, Boston, Providence, New Orleans, Chicago, Minneapolis, Trenton, and all over Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota. Henrichs currently works as a professor of Sculpture and art history at the University of Sioux Falls and he is the Executive Director at Minnesota West. He and his wife (Nicole) still reside in Luverne Minnesota with their children (Alexis 23, Elijah 16, And Noel 10) and two dogs Yoko and Pecos Bill.
EDUCATION
MFA Sculpture, Rhode Island School of Design
MBA Leadership, Minnesota State University Mankato
BA Fine Art, Art History, Education, Northwestern University Saint Paul
