Khalif Kelly
16 May - 22 Aug 2009
© Khalif Kelly
Party, 2008
oil on canvas
183 x 182.5 cm,
Courtesy the artist and Galleria Monica De Cardenas
Party, 2008
oil on canvas
183 x 182.5 cm,
Courtesy the artist and Galleria Monica De Cardenas
KHALIF KELLY
"Electronicon"
May 16 - August 22, 2009
Opening reception: Friday, May 15, 7 to 9 p.m.
In his first museum exhibition, Khalif Kelly presents a series of paintings that portray children at play, sometimes alone, sometimes in a group setting, sharing and vying for power. With a fresh and vivid palette, and a reductive, cartoon-like figurative style, Kelly creates scenes that spring from his own childhood memories as well as the youthful experiences of other African-Americans. On closer inspection, these seemingly nostalgic paintings reveal a mixture of personal archetypes and classic racial stereotypes.
The artist’s aesthetic includes references to the figurative work of Jacob Lawrence and to the controversial stop motion animations of George Pal, especially John Henry and the Inky-Poo and the Jasper series from the 1940s. Like Pal, Kelly utilizes the perception of race as a narrative device, something to work with and work against in the children’s formation of identity through play.
Kelly was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1980 and grew up in Arlington, Texas. He received his B.F.A. in Painting from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut, where he is currently enrolled in the M.F.A. program at Yale University.
"Electronicon"
May 16 - August 22, 2009
Opening reception: Friday, May 15, 7 to 9 p.m.
In his first museum exhibition, Khalif Kelly presents a series of paintings that portray children at play, sometimes alone, sometimes in a group setting, sharing and vying for power. With a fresh and vivid palette, and a reductive, cartoon-like figurative style, Kelly creates scenes that spring from his own childhood memories as well as the youthful experiences of other African-Americans. On closer inspection, these seemingly nostalgic paintings reveal a mixture of personal archetypes and classic racial stereotypes.
The artist’s aesthetic includes references to the figurative work of Jacob Lawrence and to the controversial stop motion animations of George Pal, especially John Henry and the Inky-Poo and the Jasper series from the 1940s. Like Pal, Kelly utilizes the perception of race as a narrative device, something to work with and work against in the children’s formation of identity through play.
Kelly was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1980 and grew up in Arlington, Texas. He received his B.F.A. in Painting from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut, where he is currently enrolled in the M.F.A. program at Yale University.