Bio
Kelly A. Rose
Education
2007-2010 Goldsmiths University of London, BA (Hons) Fine Art (Art Practice)
2006 -2007 Foundation Diploma Fine Art, Hackney College, London
2003-2005 Princes Drawing School (Royal Drawing School) Printmaking (etching) Life Drawing
Painting for me is an exploration of the greater forces and hidden currents underlying the human experience; a process-led discovery of the unconscious and intangible realms. It is a way to approach the mystery of life and a meditation on the process of embodiment, sensation and perception.
The work oscillates between abstraction and figuration with the painting process feeling like a tightrope walk; not becoming too solidified and representational or allowing the image to become too formless and incoherent.
Archetypes and characters sometimes emerge within abstracted scenes and inner landscapes, or they can be vignettes of fragmented memories or dreams recalled. A painting can also be a response to a sensation or fragrance. Smelling a certain note or accord in a perfume will transfigure as a visual signature in my mind and I will investigate it via the medium of paint.
I’m interested in the tension underlying the physical world; the tension between classes and systems, ideologies and beliefs; how entropy threatens to collapse and unravel the perceived solidity, order and permanence at any given moment. This inherent fragility of existence alongside its resilience and endurance informs my practice alongside a fascination with archetypal imagery found in cross-cultural mythopoetic legacies of human storytelling since antiquity.
The exploration of these patterns and dynamics has been a lifelong interest and is intrinsically linked to adversity and pain that permeated my upbringing; a lived experience of generational trauma that didn’t correspond with my peers or the received narratives of society at large- thus compelling me to question my surroundings on every level possible.