Kenny Harris brews colors and reflections, brews beautiful still life – Huge
In 1933, Alfonso Bialetti and his son Renato began selling an aluminum device for brewing coffee, which would leave an indelible mark on Italian culinary culture and beyond. The device, known as Moka Pot after the Yemeni city of Mokha, is still produced today by coffee equipment company Bialetti under the name of Moka Express, provides a steam-powered filter-free method that can make a rich beer on the stovetop.
For Venice, California-based artist Kenny Harris, the iconic maker’s metal surface inspired a series of cute still life paintings. Exploring colors and forms, the artist focuses on reflection and its effects. The delicate gradients and patterns reflect on the surface of the pot, sometimes blurring the boundaries between objects and their surroundings.
“I’m happy to look for harmonies, lost edges and texture changes,” the artist said. “Finally, these are traditional color experiments by Joseph Albers or Albert Moore: reiterating the same form in different combinations of colors. And, I love coffee.”
A solo of Harris’s work aisle Opening on September 6 at Galerie Mokum in Amsterdam, he is currently performing another show at Billis Williams Gallery in Los Angeles in early 2026. Explore more work on the artist’s website and on Instagram.
