All Of The Things

Artist: Leighton Kelly
Where: Athen B Gallery
Event Date: July 15, 2017
Event Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: 1525 Webster St, Oakland, Ca

Exhibit Dates: July 15 -

For more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/116278975614780/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2222%22%2C%22feed_story_type%22%3A%2222%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&pnref=story

All Of The Things, a solo group exhibition by Leighton Kelly in Downtown Oakland with Athen B. Gallery.

Artist Statement by Leighton Kelly

To create a statement as an artist has always been a difficult task for me. I am of two minds on the whole concept of what defines “Art” or who an “Artist” is. There are times throughout my week in which i set aside a few days for not “Being” anything at all. Being an empty vessel (see: lazy) helps cleanse the pallet from the tedious burden of being anything at all. Though, I’ll admit, on the grand scale of things being called an “Artist” has been a most reoccurring theme. So I’ll put on that hat and try something new: to attempt to write a statement on what this Solo/Group Exhibition, All of the Things, could possibly be about.

Some time ago, I decided to take a sabbatical from producing artwork for public viewing. I had been stubbornly making a piece of art every day and posting it on a blog I called “Day-one 2012”. After two straight years of persistent posting, I began to feel like I was not making “The Arts” for the right reasons. At that time, I didn’t even know what the “Right Reasons” were but I knew that doing it for the ”Likes” wasn’t it. To remedy this conundrum I began to make Art with the intention that I would not show it to anyone, ever. Really, it was an experiment just to see if I actually liked making it in the first place. It’s a peculiar fact in this world that how we label ourselves, or are labeled by others, rarely suits who we really are. It turns out that not only did I love to make “the Art” but mysteriously, without the guiding hand of the public encouragement or discouragement, my output increased like a broken faucet.

As a consequence, I discovered a plethora of new mediums, styles, concepts, and perspectives that I had never even considered before. The byproduct of this was that my home became a makeshift museum and the walls began to sag with the weight of a new and unusual menagerie. When people did come by to visit, I began to become increasingly encouraged by them to present these works to the public. One thing led to another, and I was approached by our friends at Athen B Gallery to do a solo show of “All Of The Things” that I had been hoarding away in my laboratory. I accepted the invitation and let myself know that all the things we had planned on never showing anyone, ever, were going to be presented to the public on July 15th 2017. I took the news as well as can be expected.

It was only practical to call it a Solo/Group Exhibition. In my time experimenting with any new idea that swept through my mind, a new voice and theme emerged with each creative obsession. All of which I recognized as being facets of one complex prism of my experience of being an “Artist”, while the works maintained unique vocal tones unto themselves. Perhaps, to the untrained eye, all of the series in this exhibition may all look quite different from each other, but since they all came from my “Self”, the subtitle, “Solo/Group” seemed most accurate
All that being said, if I had to give myself a style or medium with which I could identify, it would be “Palette Cleansing”. Or rather, Cleansing my Palate from whatever style or medium I had been so fully absorbed with previously, then switching tracks to something totally new, has been the most reoccurring theme in my process. I would get into one medium for a while, and then, once I had absorbed everything I needed to know about it, move on to another. I could go from Painting, Sculpture, Illustration, Bricolage, Robotics, Erotic Collage, Weaponized Fruit Modification, Demonstrative Ranting, and back to Sculpture again without much concern for a solitary focus on one single Art Form. If I was moved to do it, I did it, until I was done with it. Thus I found myself surrounded by All of the Things with nowhere to go. So, now they all want out. For better or worse, you can see them for yourselves in all their multitudinous glory…. Or do something else. It’s your life.

Join us for the opening reception of “All Of The Things” by Leighton Kelly on July 15th at 7pm in Oakland at Athen B. Gallery. We’re conveniently located at 1525 Webster St. just off both 12th and 19th Street Bart Stations in Downtown Oakland. To be added to the collectors preview being sent out next week contact info@athenbgallery.com.