Overview

Clay Ketter's work is characterized by an uncompromising clarity, be it painting, sculpture or photographic work. Although following an evolutionary path which appears to be completely logical, Ketter manages to take the viewer by surprise again and again by a skillful combination of content and execution. His artistic career originates in Sweden, which has been his home since the late 1980's, while his work has been exhibited in numerous museums, art institutions and galleries around the world. Early on in his career, Ketter experimented with materials not normally associated with fine art: his Wall Paintings and Trace Paintings challenge the viewer as to the distinction between craftsmanship and art, often succeeding in the refutation of this distinction. Through the years, Ketter's art has evolved around more existential issues. Mankind's futile struggle for protection against natural forces as well as other inevitabilities can be seen as the thematic backdrop for the photographic series Gulf Coast Slabs as well as his claustrophobic assemblages of doll's houses. In these traces of human life and deconstruction, Ketter's art is outstanding in its ability to highlight the fragility of our existence.

 

Clay Ketter (b. 1961 in Brunswick, Maine) works in painting, sculpture and photography. Over recent years, Ketter has had solo shows in London, New York, Paris, and Copenhagen, as well as participated in group shows at Whitechapel Gallery and Saatchi Gallery, London, Lunds konsthall, Artipelag and Norrköpings Konstmuseum. In 2022-23, Ketter had a solo show at RAVINEN, Båstad. He is represented in numerous international collections such as Saatchi Collection, London, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Brooklyn Museum, New York, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, Perez Museum Collections, Miami, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and Prada Foundation, Milano. In a Nordic context, Ketter’s work is part of the collections at Moderna Museet, Malmö Konstmuseum, Göteborgs konstmuseum, Museum of Artistic Process and Public Art/Skissernas Museum, Lund, Uppsala Konstmuseum, Astrup Fearnley Museet, ARKEN Museum for Moderne Kunst and Louisiana.

Exhibitions
Works
  • Clay Ketter, Your Birthday at Colomer , 2025
    Your Birthday at Colomer , 2025
  • Clay Ketter, Quart Haunted, 2025
    Quart Haunted, 2025
  • Clay Ketter, Corredores Ghost Cartoon , 2025
    Corredores Ghost Cartoon , 2025
  • Clay Ketter, Arolas Ghost Cartoon, 2025
    Arolas Ghost Cartoon, 2025
  • Clay Ketter, Tejedores Ghost Cartoon One , 2025
    Tejedores Ghost Cartoon One , 2025
  • Clay Ketter, Tejedores Ghost Cartoon Two, 2025
    Tejedores Ghost Cartoon Two, 2025
  • Clay Ketter, Vinatea Ghost Cartoon, 2025
    Vinatea Ghost Cartoon, 2025
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Cartoon One, 2023
    Barrio Cartoon One, 2023
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Cartoon Two, 2023
    Barrio Cartoon Two, 2023
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Cartoon Three, 2023
    Barrio Cartoon Three, 2023
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Cartoon Five, 2023
    Barrio Cartoon Five, 2023
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Cartoon Six, 2023
    Barrio Cartoon Six, 2023
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Cartoon Seven, 2023
    Barrio Cartoon Seven, 2023
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Cartoon Nine, 2023
    Barrio Cartoon Nine, 2023
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Cartoon Ten (Recaredo), 2023
    Barrio Cartoon Ten (Recaredo), 2023
  • Clay Ketter, Active Site, 2023
    Active Site, 2023
  • Clay Ketter, Fuckitville, 2022
    Fuckitville, 2022
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Ghost Cartoon 1, 2021
    Barrio Ghost Cartoon 1, 2021
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Ghost Cartoon 9, 2021
    Barrio Ghost Cartoon 9, 2021
  • Clay Ketter, Barrio Ghost, 2020
    Barrio Ghost, 2020
  • Clay Ketter, Happy Ending 10, 2019
    Happy Ending 10, 2019
  • Clay Ketter, MADRE Veduta 5 small version, 2013
    MADRE Veduta 5 small version, 2013
  • Clay Ketter, The Garden Revisited, 2012
    The Garden Revisited, 2012
Press