Sat 9/21 @ 6pm
Ohio City’s BUCKBUCK Gallery presents Gross Adaptations – the latest exhibition by Beth and Alex Kelly, owners of Downtown’s Proximity Gallery. Both are graduates of Cleveland Institute of Art. The evolution of both artists’ work is directly correlated to their experimentation of materials and subject matter. The work is as similar as it is different – as complementary as it is contrasting.
Alex Kelly creates geometric patterns using drawings of entwined, embracing figures. He then prints his imagery on various materials to create overwhelming installations of geometric patterns. He also incorporates collage elements and other objects into the installations.
He says:
“The trick is to be overwhelming, to the point where either the background pattern, the collaged images, or the physical objects in the room are dismissed, reexamined, and then dismissed again. Like a car alarm that wakes you up, but then eventually it lulls you back to sleep…this could very well result in a dream about having your car stolen. That’s my intent. I give you too much information, you process it, dismiss it, reexamine it…in the meantime I’m in the parking lot stealing your car.”
Beth Kelly’s take on patterns deals more with subtle changes in things we perceive as “constant.” Her work comments on both social and aesthetic patterns and their subtle, yet inevitable changes over time. Through constant experimentation in her work, Beth Kelly finds herself adapting. Both artists’ constant experimentation leads to new lessons being learned with each new work. These experiences add to the creative process and change the results over time. Often, these evolutionary changes can only be seen in hindsight.
The exhibition and the opening reception are FREE and open to the public.