Seth Kelly
Pseudomorphosis
September 9 - October 11, 2003
Opening Reception: Friday, September 12, 6 - 8 pm
Seth Kelly makes prop-like sculptural objects and large scale wall drawings. Blending ancient religion, science fiction, and pop culture iconography, he creates works imbued with themes of power, oppositional change, and cultural nihilism. He attempts to represent a state of duality in monument-like works that conflate notions of time.
The exhibition takes its title from a mineralogy term that describes a natural casting process wherein one mineral takes on the form of another. Baldeaglegriffonvulture, is a to-scale statue of a composite bird laid in gold. The work simultaneously evokes carrion birds of the Middle-East, depictions of deities in ancient Egypt, and the symbol of American power. Sophia Descending is a scale model of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Kelly flips the exterior of this contemporary mosque into the gallery interior and on it has rendered Orion in the night sky. Burial Army is comprised of 14” tall figurines, much like the Egyptian burial armies. Mining drama, sci-fi, and horror films, Kelly derives each figure from representations of Near Eastern or desert peoples. Other works include a large wall drawing of an ascetic’s cave, a wall mounted polygon, and a statue based on images of St. John the Baptist’s head, made in pseudo-Martian soil.
This will be his second solo exhibition.
Derek Eller Gallery is located at 526 West 25th Street, 2nd floor. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday from 11am - 6pm. For further information or visuals, please contact the gallery at 212.206.6411 or visit www.derekeller.com.