Zebadiah Keneally

Outlet Fine Art is pleased to present a new solo exhibition by Brooklyn based artist Zebadiah Keneally (whom also goes by Hamburger Vampire) titled The Kidnapping! Having been spurned by God, egomaniac Hamburger Vampire conspires with retired deities Jupiter, Neptune and Juno to kidnap him. The Kidnapping! satirizes egomania, belief systems and blurs the line between fine art and entertainment. Zebadiah Keneally’s most recent book, The Kidnapping!. will be published in conjunction with the exhibition. An edition of 50, signed by the artist, will be available at the opening reception, through our online shop and at the Whitney Museum Bookstore.

Zebadiah Keneally’s work has a sensibility that refers to 1990s Nickelodeon, Monty Python, and the Portlandia TV series. Keneally’s work crisscrosses between multiple mediums and subject matters; at first glance the work seems rooted in an absurdity, but upon closer investigation the viewer is drawn into his existential themes through his whimsical performances and cartoonish creations.

By focusing on seemingly simplistic elements of the human experience, Keneally uses his work to address deeper questions about life and God by portraying our obsession with consumption. While he whole-heartedly embraces quirky humor, his use of everyday objects, weird fabricated props and backdrops, cleverly respond to the big questions in life. A key image such as “Hamburger Vampire” has evolved into a complex mythology that sets the stage for the world in which his characters live. With the mainstream successes of programs like Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, and Doctor Who, thoughtful absurdism like Keneally’s joins an exciting conversation that invites meaningful contemplation on larger ideas and questions of our existence.

Keneally has performed at several spaces including Mixed Greens Gallery, the Wassaic Project and on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network. Recent works include production and costume design for Mike Doughty’s rock opera, Revelation, which premiered at WNYC’s Greene Space. Keneally’s drawings, paintings, sculptures and books have been shown in New York City, Los Angeles, Detroit, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuwait City. His books and publications are in the collections of the MoMA Library, the Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum.