About

This archive is a selection of Kelly’s fine art photography collected over five continents and more than two decades, stretching back to her 15 years of exclusively shooting and printing film. It includes many of her hand-printed black & white and color images, as well as recent digital work. Kelly was formerly a co-founder and editor of Swoon Magazine, and is a co-founder and current Director of the Brooklyn Transcendental Meditation Center.

Artist Statement

Color, texture, and geometry are the primary subjects of my work. I view the human form in terms of these structural elements as much as I consider inanimate objects in terms of their expressive features. I’m interested in the life of objects we pass by on a daily basis: the untold story of a door, or of an ancient wall weathered by the elements, textured by layers of paint and time. I often concentrate on the close-up, the flat surface which fills the entire frame, causing the viewer to examine such often unobserved details as a strip of peeling paint, a reflection in a mud puddle, or the color of light falling on someone’s face. I do not set up or manipulate most of my shots, preferring spontaneity and natural light to celebrate and defamiliarize the familiar.

Exhibitions

2010 Revisitation, solo show, Chango, Los Angeles, CA

2008 Through the Looking Glass, solo show, Hi Christina Gallery, NY, NY

2006 Madarts Photo Festival, group show, Madarts Space, Brooklyn, NY

2004 Girlography, group show, Axel Raben Gallery, NY, NY

2002 August Art Festival, group show, August Art, NY, NY

2002 Texture, solo show, Missing Piece Gallery, Iowa City, IA

2002 Womanifesta, group show, Lou Henri, Iowa City, IA

2000 Arekstur, two-person show, Gallery Geysis, Reykjavik, Iceland

Contact

kellymckayphotography@gmail.com