Keith Kaziak’s research-based practice interrogates the everyday and the vernacular aspects of the human condition, addressing the existential inquiry of why? Through a series of artistic gestures that encapsulate themes of doubt, illusion, faith, and expectation, Kaziak orchestrates absurdities that navigate the interplay between sculpture and three-dimensional space. His immersive installations—cite, sight, site—invoke a complex network of cultural and visual references, compelling viewers to reevaluate their assumptions about the material world.

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Engaging with dichotomies such as the existential struggles epitomized by Albert Camus’ Sisyphus and the relentless endeavors of Looney Tunes' Wile E. Coyote, as well as the contrasts between comedy and tragedy, authenticity and simulacrum, belief and skepticism, Kaziak cultivates a palpable tension that enhances the power and significance of his work. This duality not only enriches the viewer’s experience but also fosters a deeper engagement with the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary artistic discourse.

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His exhibition record features a diverse array of regional, national, and international venues, including the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in Milwaukee, WI; A┃AH┃D Gallery at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, IN; Cleaner Gallery + Projects in Chicago, IL; Abel Contemporary in Stoughton, WI; Quad City Art Center in Rock Island, IL; Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, WI; Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, WI; Koehnline Museum of Art in Des Plaines, IL; Creative Cube in Milwaukee, WI; Valade Family Gallery in Detroit, MI; Real Tinsel Gallery in Milwaukee, WI; Quarter Gallery in Minneapolis, MN; Czong Institute for Contemporary Art in Gimpo, South Korea; DeVos Art Museum in Marquette, MI; Sloss Furnaces Visitor Center Gallery and Ground Floor Contemporary in Birmingham, AL; Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis, MN; and Ironbridge Gorge Museum in Telford, Shropshire, UK.

 

Kaziak is a recipient of several awards and honors, including the 2021 International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award, and was a 2022 US Fulbright semi-finalist. He served on the Stevens Point Sculpture Park Board from 2016-2024 and recently completed a public sculpture commissioned by the Wausau Rotary Club in summer 2024. He was a 2019–2022 Interdisciplinary Artist Research Cohort Fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he received his MFA. Currently he teaches Art-Foundry and Wood Sculpture as a Lecturer and is a Postdoc Teaching Scholar of Sculpture at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN.  ​  ​

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