Every year explorers, wanderers and artists gather at “The Playa,” or, as it is more commonly known, Burning Man. They convene in the desert with the desire to connect with others and experience a genuinely altruistic life, especially through art. Laura Kimpton, an artist/veteran of Burning Man, has long been exploring its central tenets in conjunction with her own ideologies. Her latest work transcends the boundaries of ego and societal expectation and seeks narratives through painting, photography, mixed media, installation, sculpture and video.

In the current exhibition, “Buck $hot to the $oul”, at Zener Schon Gallery in Mill Valley, Kimpton explores the true weight of society’s expectations on people and their interactions with each other. She seeks to tear down the concept of ego that is imposed by convention and outlines her journey to find her true self.

Laura Kimpton, Buck $hot to the $oul, 2015.

The many sculptures in this show, made from recycled or repurposed “junk,” are littered throughout the exhibition. One piece, titled The Cage Within (2015) visually and literally translates the damage money can inflict. Inside a beautifully crafted vintage birdcage (through special effects) Kimpton flies through the air with long white wings, flapping among the clouds in a looping video. The video monitor is framed by a collage of dollar bills that encase the bird (Kimpton) that is meant to fly further than the shallow world that constrains it.

A focal point of the exhibition is the piece titled Buck$hot to the $oul (2015). The mixed media installation was designed to model a rotating, shooting target booth. Photos of Annie Oakley surround the piece and draped curtains with aged wooden moldings nod to an antique carnival aesthetic. Kimpton’s signature barn swallows welded out of metal pop up and travel across as the target rotates. The installation turns into a functional piece of art utilized later in the evening at the opening reception. Using an old-fashioned BB gun, Kimpton shoots at her own piece, turning it into performance art.

The multifaceted quality of this show inspires the viewer to  spend the time needed to evaluate the different elements while also developing the connection to the main messages.