Kuksi's influences include the Baroque and Rococo periods. He has described how he feels more in belonging to the 'Old World' and that his artwork is very much a reaction to "the corrupt and demoralized fall of modern-day society – a place where new beginnings, new wars, new philosophies, and new endings exist."
Assemblages
Kuksi cuts and reshapes old objects, small toys, mechanical components and other parts and refashions them into works of art that bear little resemblance to the original appearance. A wide range of materials are utilized, including model parts, wood and metal. The artist describes these as 'mixed media' that are melded by "a flowing composition and visual balance." Kuksi's work often combines images in disconcerting ways, such as "Churchtank" which merges images of religion and warfare. The artist collects material from around the world for the assemblages, with components coming from Ukraine, Germany, Prague, Philippines, Lithuania, Japan and Singapore. Items are either bought in person or delivered to his studio in Hays, Kansas.
Paintings and drawings
Kuksi has studied with established artists in Italy, Austria and Spain, including participating in several international workshops including "Painting the Fantastic" with Robert Venosa in Italy, "Old Masters New Visions Seminar" with Philip Rubinov Jacobson in Austria and "Painting Dali's Garden", with Venosa in Spain. The artist's paintings combine discordant elements and suggest an affinity with the macabre and enigmatic, as "images are enmeshed in successive layers of incongruous and bizarre subjects". His paintings and drawings have been described as reminiscent of old masters in their depiction of anatomical creation. In addition, they have been critiqued as incorporating elements of surrealism and displaying 'hallucinatory patterns and shapes deep within the delirium of paranoia and obsessive behaviours.' According to critics, Kuksi's paintings are "either so realistic they could be photos or psychedelic, almost esoteric"
Critical response
Kuksi's work has been described as "mind-blowing, macabre and beautifully grotesque art… will taunt you by the sheer complexity of detail, leaving you even more baffled as you stare for hours at all the figurines that were smacked into coexistence." In a review of his 2003 solo show in Washington, D.C.'s Fraser Gallery, Washington Post art critic Michael O'Sullivan described his drawings as "masterfully rendered figurative art." The end result has been described as "intricately polarized narratives of the balance between good and evil, left and right, night and day, past and future." Kuksi has featured in more than 100 exhibitions worldwide, including Art Basel, Miami, Berlin, the Cologne Art Fair in Germany and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. He has won a number of awards including the Award of Merit from Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, and the First Place Award from Direct Art Magazine. Additionally, Kuksi has been featured in books on sculpture and modern art, such as "Device Volume II: Reconstructed," and "Spider Pie." Kuksi's work can also been found on the front covers of Philosophie and Bl!sss Magazine. He has sold works of art at auction through Sotheby's. Collectors of Kuksi pieces include Kay Alden, actor Robin Williams, musician and director Fred Durst, director Chris Weitz, director Guillermo del Toro, Nike CEO Mark Parker, and the Ellis County Bar Association in Kansas.
Books
Kuksi's book, Divination and Delusion, was published in 2010 by Last Gasp.
