Showing posts with label Nemo Gould. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nemo Gould. Show all posts
February 1, 2026
December 15, 2025
The Orchard / Galleries on 25 articles/mentions
photo by Styrous®
The Orchard / Galleries on 25 ~
December 12, 2025
The Orchard / Galleries on 25 ~ Nemo Gould
Nemo Gould is an American artist and sculptor known for his kinetic found-object sculpture as well as two-dimensional graphic work. Much of his work presents whimsical aluminum and wooden robotic and sci-fi creatures of as-yet unnamed and threatening genus and species. He cites Clayton Bailey as an early and inspirational influence.
His work has been featured in national media including the Discovery Channel, Wired, Travel and Leisure, Make and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Net links:
Nemo Gould articles/mentions
The Orchard Gallery
Trigger Warning @ the Roll Up
mentions:
GLG Uptown Opening
Trigger Warning @ the Roll Up
mentions:
GLG Uptown Opening
Nemo Gould - 2014
photo by Michael Short
November 15, 2025
Gray Loft Gallery Uptown opening
Last night the GLG's new satellite venture took off in dramatic fashion.
The exterior is unassuming but WOW!
Wait 'til you get inside!
Peter Dreyfus built a gallery space that is every gallery owner's dream! A ceiling hundreds of feet high (well, it's pretty high) and skylights that show the work in beautiful natural light so the color dazzles the eyes.
Working with Jan Watten of the Gray Loft Gallery, the two have assembled a stunning array of the work, old and brand new, of 12 present and past Jingletown artists. It's almost a retrospective with incite to the future.
The Orchard / Galleries on 25
489 – 25th Street,
Oakland, CA
Gallery Hours: First Fridays, 5:00 - 8:00 pm Fridays and Saturdays 12:00 – 5:00 p.m.
and by appointment
This is the first article about the Gray Loft Gallery Uptown at the Orchard space with more images to follow.
Be there or be Square!
July 31, 2023
Nemo Gould ~ Trigger Warning @ the Roll Up
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Nemo Gould ~ Hand Gun V3 (2023)
Earlier this month The Roll Up Project showed the work of Nemo Gould, sculptures constructed to look like manufactured objects. He incorporates found elements from clocks, guns, medical devices, and more to bring attention to the history of fine craftsmanship, and to propose alternative applications for objects whose primary uses feel outmoded.
Several sculptures based on guns fill the window on Harrison Street. For Gould, as most people, guns are symbols of violence and intimidation. But he also thinks about how Americans rely on guns to solve problems to an unreasonable degree. Gould notes that in this series, he is satirically creating specialized guns to solve the complex problems of today, such as water and fuel shortages, diplomacy, and the opiate crisis. Upon closer inspection of the sculptures, the dangerous elements of the guns have been stripped away, making space for other types of interaction. Sometimes the gun’s triggers are inoperable, and evoke feelings of powerlessness, or a loss of control. In other cases, the triggers are used as activators for kinetic elements in the sculpture, inviting the beholder to complete the sculpture by interacting with it. For example, pulling the trigger of Hand Gun V3 (2023) (photo above) activates a vibration device, so the holder can shake hands with someone from a distance. The absurdity of the interaction, paired with the space-age aesthetics of the sculpture, impart levity and imply that the solutions to issues of diplomacy clearly require a human touch rather than a piece of technology. Hand Gun V3 also plays with the language of politics, such as ‘reaching across the aisle’ and ‘glad-handing.’
Several sculptures based on guns fill the window on Harrison Street. For Gould, as most people, guns are symbols of violence and intimidation. But he also thinks about how Americans rely on guns to solve problems to an unreasonable degree. Gould notes that in this series, he is satirically creating specialized guns to solve the complex problems of today, such as water and fuel shortages, diplomacy, and the opiate crisis. Upon closer inspection of the sculptures, the dangerous elements of the guns have been stripped away, making space for other types of interaction. Sometimes the gun’s triggers are inoperable, and evoke feelings of powerlessness, or a loss of control. In other cases, the triggers are used as activators for kinetic elements in the sculpture, inviting the beholder to complete the sculpture by interacting with it. For example, pulling the trigger of Hand Gun V3 (2023) (photo above) activates a vibration device, so the holder can shake hands with someone from a distance. The absurdity of the interaction, paired with the space-age aesthetics of the sculpture, impart levity and imply that the solutions to issues of diplomacy clearly require a human touch rather than a piece of technology. Hand Gun V3 also plays with the language of politics, such as ‘reaching across the aisle’ and ‘glad-handing.’
Tyranny of the Masses (2017) suggests the challenges inherent in collaboration – in order for the weapon to fire, three operators have to agree on a target and simultaneously pull three triggers. The inevitability of dissent and the imperfection of timing render the gun useless.
In the Third Street windows, two sculptures address labor and competition. The Grind (2021) features a prosthetic arm connected to a crank that, when activated by the viewer, reaches out to grasp a dollar bill dangling on a hook.
Nemo Gould ~ The Grind (2021)
Next to The Grind, Bored to Death (2023) is composed of two power drills
in battle, drilling each other nearly out of existence. Light glows
through their hole-riddled bodies, creating a dazzling disco effect at
night.
These sculptures imply a sense of helplessness, an inevitable lack of control, where the guns in the Harrison Street windows are more focused on solutions and actions. But both perspectives encourage the viewer to envision new approaches to these complicated topics. How can we take action without relying on tools that distance us from the unsavory details? Or can we build new tools that don’t simply follow the methods of old ones?
Self-described “Chairman of the Hoard” Gould is a master accumulator, of both materials and building techniques alike. His Oakland studio is a veritable museum of old objects and technology which he blends into his signature style of kinetic sculpture. His work pushes the limits of found object art and challenges the viewer to experience art through interaction and experience. Gould received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1998, and his MFA in sculpture from U.C. Berkeley in 2000. His work is featured in museums and collections throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Viewfinder link:
Styrous® ~ Monday, July 31, 2023
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