Richard Klein has utilized found objects in his sculptural work since the late 1990s. The objects are commonplace—cheap, everyday castoffs from our material culture that are sourced from the recycling stream, tag sales and flea markets. He values found objects because of the meanings and associations that come their former roles in our lives - they are vessels that can hold and contain substances, feelings, and ideas. Klein is inclined to use glass, often selecting bottles, eye glass lenses, or mirrors. Their transparency, refraction, and reflection speak of the immaterial. Obsessive craftsmanship, repetition, and accumulation reinforce materiality. Analogous to the human condition, these small sculptures exist in the space between these two extremes.
The historical and cultural influences in Klein’s work include (among other things) Surrealism, ‘Outsider” Art, Arte Povera, psychedelia and optical science. Despite its philosophical rigor, the art always revels in an undeniable sense of elegance and beauty.