We had the good fortune of connecting with Ruth Avra & Dana Kleinman, KX2 and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruth Avra & Dana, how do you think about risk?
Just deciding to be an artist is a huge risk!! An artist’s life is not easy. It is filled with uncertainty, rejection, and chaos. It can, of course, have the most amazing and fulfilling moments, but the vast majority of artists are not able to sustain a career long enough to enjoy wide acclaim. An artist must learn to embrace the risk and perhaps small reward of creating work and then keep taking the risk of putting themselves out there again and again to hopefully gain the exposure and admiration of others which could ultimatley lead to sales, awards, grants and beyond.

The life of an artist is never easy. There is no guaranteed salary or income and you have to stomach a lot of rejection. By working together we are able to tackle challenges as a team, which is a huge advantage. Because there are two of us, we are able to recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses and delegate responsibilities. One of the biggest challenges in an artist’s career is just keeping in it when times are tough, which they almost surely will be. We support each other when we have doubts and push each other to keep creating and trying new things. There have been many lessons along the way. The biggest one is to keep learning, being open to these lessons. The world changes and you have to be open and flexible to change with it. And to seek help when you need it, and give help when you can.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
KX2 is a collaboration that combines the strengths of us as artists and sisters (Ruth Avra and Dana Kleinman). We create mathematically inspired sculpture merging metal and painting. From a distance the work is bold and geometric, yet up close the viewer is engaged by textural hand-sanded metal and multi-layered paintings. By exploring geometry, symmetry and connection, our work aims to create a moment of pause, inviting the viewer to escape the stresses of the day and find a space to achieve balance. In using these materials, the work pulls seemingly opposite forces into harmony, inviting the viewer to do the same in their daily life. Since establishing our artistic collaboration in 2007, our work has been featured in notable galleries and museums around the world. Importantly, the work was leveraged to the international art scene with an invitation to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Biennale at the National Art Museum of China. We are proud to say that our work can be found in numerous private, corporate and public art collections throughout North America.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Art, beach, and beer! We would definitely get on our bikes and go to Hollywood Beach (I–Dana–live near the beach). Ride the broadwalk and grab a burger at Le Tub. We would also have to check out whatever exhibition is going on at the Hollywood Art and Culture Center. Then there needs to be a Fort Lauderdale day, preferably a last Saturday of the month for the artwalk in Fat Village and MASS districts. Of course we would have to kick it off the evening with a beer at our favorite brewery, Invasive Species. And definitely we have to fit in a Wynwood day. Walk around, look at all the murals, galleries, coffee at Panther, beer at J Wakefield or Boxelder (or both), and maybe some Coyo Taco to finish!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We could not be where we are today without the support of our galleries, art collectors, and other artists. Specifically in the South Florida area we would like to thank our galleries MAC Fine Art (Ft Lauderdale/Jupiter) and new gallery Chase Edwards (Delray Beach) for exhibiting our work. We would also like the thank Andrew Martineau and Evan Snow who produce Art Fort Lauderdale for connecting us with some great collectors and promoting our work and the work of other local artists. Not to be forgotten, Carol Teti-Kessler at Gallery One in Ft Lauderdale is a huge supporter of local artists as well! It takes a village!

Website: www.KX2art.com
Instagram: @KX2art
Twitter: @KX2art
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kx2art

Image Credits
Seb Ettinger
KX2