Get to Know Kelly

Kelly R Johnston is a sculptor based in Chicago, IL. Originally from Washington DC, she completed a bachelor’s in anthropology and in studio art at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Johnston has exhibited nationally and internationally, including Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Flux Factory in NYC, the Target Gallery in Alexandria, VA and has shown extensively in the south. Her work explores inherent tensions between emotional and physical discomfort. By using natural materials on large scales to create sculpture and installation, she hopes her viewers connect and address issues in their own lives. Her use of identity objects, such as hair and teeth, can be seen as a common materials throughout her work, along with incorporating mixed-media approaches to create visceral environments.

​"Johnston's art is provocative, politically engaged, and makes sublime use of experimental materials. Her work is equal parts challenging, emotionally affecting, and intimate. "
-Ben Clancy

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