Daniel Kerkhoff

Daniel Kerkhoff grew up in Minnesota in the United States and has studied Japanese ink painting (sumi-e) and calligraphy in Japan, landscape painting and drawing in Italy, and figure drawing and painting at the Art Students League in New York City. Besides exhibiting his art in the United States, he has exhibited his work in Japan, Ghana, and Ecuador.

Since 2009, Kerkhoff has been doing artist-in-residencies in Adugyama, Ghana and Sisid-anejo, Canar, Ecuador where he created installations that respond to his environment, culture, and community. He resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.

I have been doing a series of paintings called "Cover-ups and Remnants" which often take an appropriated art work or print and modify it selecting parts to stay revealed and covering up the rest to create an abstract composition. I also have done this sort of erasing technique to my own art.

My foundation is in two dimensional painting and drawing but am expanding my work to include collage, digital photography, and installations. I have been doing artist-in-residencies in Adugyama, Ashanti, Ghana and Sisid-anejo, Canar, Ecuador where I create work that responds to my environment, culture, and community.

My installations often include organic materials such as dirt, potatoes, corn, eucalyptus leaves, and other common materials that I've been inspired to use from the environment. I consider the work I'm doing in these residencies and installations as a form of social scupture that was put forth by the German artist, Joseph Beuys. Developing connections and interrelationships between these communities has become an important component of my art practice.