December 2017
INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION
Kelly Boehmer
INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION
Kelly Boehmer
Artistic Statement
In my sculptures, imagery from a range of sources including art history, literature, beer labels, and cartoons are used with a tragic sense of humor. Symbols of fantasies are entangled with metaphors for anxieties. The creatures take on the complex magical and monstrous qualities of who we become in romantic relationships. Taxidermy creatures wearing glittery outfits surrounded by soft, yarn and faux fur “soften the blow,” making anxieties, like death, easier to confront.
Sheer fabrics give the monsters a vulnerable facet -- making them both threatening and pitiful. Seductive colors and sensual textures are juxtaposed with repulsive elements such as entrails. Kitsch components are incorporated in a sincere and visceral way.
All of my pieces are sewn by hand with an unrefined stitch. I reuse my materials by cutting up my old sculptures to make new work -- similar to the term for the subtle evidence of corrections in a painting -- pentimenti (originating from “repentance”).
In my sculptures, imagery from a range of sources including art history, literature, beer labels, and cartoons are used with a tragic sense of humor. Symbols of fantasies are entangled with metaphors for anxieties. The creatures take on the complex magical and monstrous qualities of who we become in romantic relationships. Taxidermy creatures wearing glittery outfits surrounded by soft, yarn and faux fur “soften the blow,” making anxieties, like death, easier to confront.
Sheer fabrics give the monsters a vulnerable facet -- making them both threatening and pitiful. Seductive colors and sensual textures are juxtaposed with repulsive elements such as entrails. Kitsch components are incorporated in a sincere and visceral way.
All of my pieces are sewn by hand with an unrefined stitch. I reuse my materials by cutting up my old sculptures to make new work -- similar to the term for the subtle evidence of corrections in a painting -- pentimenti (originating from “repentance”).
Kelly Boehmer has exhibited and performed her work nationally and internationally including shows in Baltimore, Dallas, Miami, New York City, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, San Juan, and Sarajevo, Bosnia. She received her BFA in Studio Art at the Maryland Institute College of Art and her MFA in Studio Art at the University of South Florida. Kelly teaches Art Appreciation, Graduate Studio Art and Research courses as a Lecturer at Georgia Southern University.
Kelly is a member of the performance art group, Glitter Chariot.
Kelly is a member of the performance art group, Glitter Chariot.