KIMBERLY KEOWN
MFA Studio Art 2022
"I attempt to expose holes in the fabric of a society in decline with multiple simultaneous threads… of language, of cycles, the influence and interruption of given cycles, personal challenges, humor. Working in photography, film & video, parody, kinesthetic sculpture, collage, and poetry, with narrative and non-linear elements, I explore themes on Time, Contradiction, Reflection, Duality, Illusion, and Vulnerability. My work is increasingly about strained relationships on our planet; the continual attempt to dominate and the failure to improve. I expose my personal handicaps to try to depict where break down can happen. I meditate on my surroundings to find and share equanimity. Knowing the brutality of nature, my proclivity for beauty and mirth is used to offset the anxiety of current circumstances and draw the viewer toward the issues at hand.
A Canary in a Coal Mine is a portend of fatality due to unsafe conditions. 100,000’s of songbirds recently fell dead out of the sky on their migrations. They died of long-term starvation. They were insectivores and berry eaters. Pollinator insects are in decline due to chemical agriculture. I am the Canary because I am chemically sensitive. My devastation on reading the news of these songbirds inspired me to create this body of work. By going back to using pre-film animation, found materials and waste in the construction of these objects where possible, I endeavor to create the illusion of motion without contributing to climate catastrophe. Or are we already an echo of the past like these objects?"
Website: kimkeown.blogspot.com
circusmirage.blogspot.com
Instagram @noweknews @faye_bes
Image: Reinvention of the Wheel, Series for Songbirds and Pollinators. Images courtesy of the artist © Kimberly Keown
