About
My current work focuses on my utopian places. The etymology of the word “utopia” demonstrates two meanings at once, literally “no place” and “good place”. By acknowledging the word’s multiple meaning, I want the viewer to recognize layers exist below the surface of everything.
The initial images are based on places where I have vacationed or lived. Documentation of these places occurs with either a camera or a sketchbook and, with some passage of time, a new image is constructed that attempts to be as sparse or dense as the memory it conjures. As an artist, my goal has been to merge a visual aesthetic with a concept. In these images materials are chosen for their use in art, architecture and construction. Conscious consideration is given to the traditional elements and principles of design while allowing rules to be bent by the whims of my subconscious.
I want the viewer to notice the layers of information and discover new details the longer they look. Ultimately the viewer’s interaction with a piece becomes their own memory, repeating the cycle, with details remembered or discarded.
Bio
Michael Kellner has a MFA from the University of Cincinnati and a BFA from the University of Louisville. In addition to working as an artist, he is currently pursuing his PhD in art education at the Ohio State University.
He has exhibited in a variety of national exhibitions and will show internationally in Malaysia in the fall of 2010.