Year2021

Hand SignedLower Right 

Condition Excellent 

Framed with PlexiglassWhite Frame w/ Archival Matting 

Purchased fromArtist 2021 

Provenance / HistoryThis work encapsulates the study of Octopus consciousness. It is a contemplation of when what became humans separated from what became Octopus on the evolutionary tree some 650 million years ago...it asks questions about the nature of perception in a watery environment as opposed to an atmospheric environment....one neuropsychologist suggests there is evidence to indicate that consciousness evolved as a mechanism to make us feel that life was worth living...in other words, "sentience" ... "Thomas Reid, the 18th century philosopher made an influential distinction between perception and sensation. Perception, he wrote registers information about objects in the external world: sensation is the subjective feeling that accompanies perceptions and because we encounter sensations and perceptions simultaneously, we conflate them." (Nick Romero, 3/15/23, The New Yorker). In some respects this is the beginning of seeking aesthetic connectivity and purposeful action, as in making a work imbued with meaning. 

Story / Additional InfoIn 2018, Kerns completed a series of works entitled the "Octopus Meditations". This work advances the visual exploration of perception and sentience as a mechanism of thought. Art making engages the physical body's reaction to imagery, especially marks and images made with strong gesture and emotive color. 

Certificate of AuthenticityArt Brokerage 

LID159927