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Fenton Art Gallery: John Kelly
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John Kelly
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18th May - 16th June
John Kelly
There was an Australian, an Englishman and an Irishman...
As suggested in the title of this exhibition, identity is a central concern for Kelly, who is a holder of an Australian, Irish and English passport. Born in Bristol, John Kelly moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia soon after his birth and was raised there by his Irish father and English mother. He and his family have in recent years moved to Ireland and live in Co. Cork.
A hugely successful artist in Australia, Kelly’s work fetches enormous prices at auction. He has also exhibited regularly in London and has recently been invited to show in Agnews, Bond Street, London in an exhibition featuring 25 top English artists to celebrate the 190th anniversary of these dealers. Featured in an exhibition on the Champs Èlysées, Paris in 2000 and in Monte Carlo in 2002, his sculpture ‘Cow up a tree’ received major acclaim and has become known worldwide. He is also due to exhibit this sculpture at the Glastonbury Festival (21st –24th June) and as part of an international exhibition in The Hauge next month. This will be Kelly’s first solo exhibition in Ireland.
John Kelly is best known for his paintings and large sculptures based on 'Dobell's cows', but more recently his work has become concerned with two specific motifs, one derived from Sidney Nolan's 'Moonboy' of 1940 and the other from elements of the logo of the Arts Council of Australia. Kelly's art occupies the territory of Postmodernism. For him, art history, specifically that of Australian art, as seen in his reference to Nolan and Dobell, and visual humour are key elements in his work. ‘…the humorous narrative, the clarity of the visual pun with a mirror to established attitudes and institutions, is integral to (Kelly’s) art.' Robert Lindsay, Director, McClelland Gallery & Sculpture Park.
Kelly studied Fine Art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology ('83-'85) and had his first solo show at Niagara Galleries, Melbourne in 1988. He went on to complete an MA at RMIT in 1995 and studied at the Slade School of Art, London from 1996-97.
Kelly has exhibited extensively throughout Australia and Europe including recent shows at, McClelland Gallery + Sculpture Park, Australia (2006/07), Niagara Galleries, Melbourne (2006, 2005, 2004, 2002), The Piccadilly Gallery, London (2006, 2002) and L'espal Centre Culturel, Le Mans, France (2002). His work is included in numerous private collections internationally as well as public and corporate collections in Australia, Europe and USA.
A catalogue accompanies this exhibition
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Yellow Peril
oil on canvas
22 x 27cm
SOLD
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