Kathy Kelly In the space of absence

“My current body of work began as a social commentary, but as my ivory tower crumbles to my feet, I weep to find that I have been residing in this space of absence.

I have been a good Vulcan, a good cyborg;I have told myself that I know, that I understand, that I am certain, that I am in control, that I am rational and that I am autonomous. And I know that this is the lie I tell myself. This wall of knowing, understanding, certainty, control, rationality and autonomy is crashing down around me. Its devastating collapsing hurts like hell and the collateral damage continues to be immense and unbearable. But this crumbling of my tower is good.This tower I’ve built out of these things has isolated me, kept me from being known and knowing others, myself and God. It has prevented me from connecting, from belonging. In this moment when I find the rubble cascading, I will try not to rebuild this tower, this wall. I will try and allow for being scared, being sad, being afraid and to allow myself to cry SO THAT I may be known and know others, myself, andGod, that I may connect, that I may belong. I am discovering that I can no longer be a Vulcan. My tower has not been keeping me safe; it has been only keeping me alone, in a horrible space of absence.”

Kathy Kelley graduated with her MFA from the University of Houston in 2006.Since then, Kelley has been expanding her body of work that reanimates, repurposes objects of urban refuse while initiating and presiding over a new experimental art space in Houston, BOX 13 ArtSpace. Kelley was selected to participate in the 2009 Texas Biennial, is the recipient of an Emerging ArtistFellowship from the Houston Arts Alliance, recently unveiled her first public installation, Suckling is continuous, in conjunction with BBAP, was featured in theMay 2008 edition of ArtsHouston magazine, and was awarded Best of Show in theSeven-State Biennial Exhibition at the University of Science and Art of OK ArtGallery in 2007.