Robb Helmkamp

As the child of a military family living and traveling all over the United States and overseas, I have been exposed to numerous and varied cultural traditions. I am continually inspired by the raw feel, rough beauty and honesty of indigenous art and its contrast with military tradition. Wood – like life – can be sweet and supple or rough and jagged. I take the utilitarian, mundane and ordinary up a notch; I create furniture and sculptures that are whimsical and unique. My work questions the relationship between the warmth of indigenous art and the stark coldness of the military machine.