Chris Kienke received his MFA in Painting from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale in 2000 and received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1994. Kienke’s work is diverse, ranging from paintings and drawings to videos to installations. His approach is that of an inquisitive mind observing, evaluating, experimenting and exploring moments and events. Chris’s current explorations and concerns in the studio revolve around painting. He is interested in creating surfaces that make it difficult for the viewer to decipher the archeology of the painted layers. The images, Kienke is currently using reference a wide range of topics from colonization to slavery to globalization to religious conquest. In conjunction with his solo work, his collaboration with Tarek al-Ghoussein titled the “War Room” consumed several years of creative energy from 2003-2006. This collaborative effort has been published in N-Media Journal and has been exhibited in the UAE, Bangladesh, India and most recently Belgium in 2008. Kienke’s interests in the collaborative process and cross-disciplinary investigation, extend into a diverse range of media including kinetic drawings and video. Chris's work has been exhibited in over 40 shows including several solo exhibitions most recently at 2 Car Garage Contemporary Art in Savannah, GA in January 2009 and New American Paintings in September 2009.