Anthony D Kelly

Anthony D Kelly
Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland

STATEMENT

Over the last number of years my work has spoken on a vast array of different topics, all of which have been drawn together by my own meandering passions and ideas; and somehow centrally bound by a deep interest in fostering human growth. I believe the arts have an essential role in the maturation and the restorative humanization of our society; by providing us with a means share lived experiences, reflect on the harsh realities of today, and to imagine infinite possible futures through the vehicle of creativity.

Collage has always felt like the most apt means for reflecting on our fractured society. By providing an opportunity to hijack the narratives and imagery of advertising, newspapers and other sources of mass printed and digital media, collage delivers to us a possibility. The possibility to repurpose and restructure mass media messaging; creating unified reflections that emerge from our own experiences, unconscious processes, hopes, struggles and dreams.

Whether I am working with digital or analog collage, or whether the topic at hand is political, personal, comical or purely experimental; I am following a deep intuitive response to my own processes of selection, placement and commitment to a final composition. I believe that any time one of us engages in this kind of process the result is a unique piece of work, drawn from our creative alchemical selves and delivered through the medium of collage.

BIO

Anthony D Kelly is a Visual Artist, Writer, and Integrative Psychotherapist. He works mainly with Illustration, Collage and Assemblage techniques to create hopeful, humorous, and sometimes unnerving and deeply satirical imagery. He is currently based in Castlebar, County Mayo located on Ireland’s West Coast. He has extensive experience as a Gallery Administrator, Curator and Project Facilitator from his time at Basement Project Space, an artist-led initiative which was part of the cultural fabric of Cork City, Ireland. The aim of this initiative was to generate an exhibition/project space independent of established institutions, to provide development opportunities for emerging artists and to encourage cutting edge experimental practice across a broad range of disciplines.

He is a proactive and experienced member of the Irish Collage Community. He was chosen as the Kolaj Institute’s World Collage Day Artist 2023. He has exhibited across Ireland, Europe and in the U.S.A. and has delivered workshops and lectures at Collagistas Festivals 5 & 6 in Dublin and Brussels.

His work has featured in many publications including Art Reveal, Creativ Paper, Murze Magazine, Kolaj Magazine and the recently released book, Empty Columns are a Place to Dream, from the Kolaj Institute and Kasini House.

He has studied Arts Administration, Arts Participation and Global Development and Humanistic Psychotherapy. Anthony is greatly interested in the Arts as an effective method for engagement with Social, Political and Global Development issues; and for seeking beyond the known to formulate the new. He is also deeply interested in the creative interplay between literature and visual art, and their roles as meaning making processes and in promoting positive mental health.

ARTIST CONTACT

+353 851 339 108
[click to email]
www.freeformtrouble.com

IMAGES