Kennedy Holley

Artist Statement

The lure of cigarettes entices millions of people all over the world to buy, consume and discard them at mass rates. Using the packaging and color schemes of cigarettes, my work utilizes the way they are advertised and marketed to highlight their aesthetic allure. My works are 2D and 3D expressions drawing on my own expierence and observations of cigarette harm in my life using oil paint and mixed media - often incorpoating discarded cigarette butts mixed into paint or as a mark making tool - to convey my message. These peices from the series "Vices" portray this object in an beautiful manor, while alluding to the harm that it causes to the body, the enviroment and the life of the consumer. I often add anthropomorphic characteristics to the cigarettes themselves as or to the earth to highlight their role in this narrative. My vision for the work is to encourage viewers to recognize the consequences of picking up a habit such as smoking, for themselves, the people around them and their environment.

Biography

Kennedy Holley is a Memphis based multimedia artist dealing with subjects that are prevalent but ignored in our society. Kennedy received her BFA in Studio Art from the University of Memphis in May of 2021. Oil paint is her medium of choice, often combined with repurposed materials she collects from her environment. She is drawn to the objects that are casualy discarded and brings them to attention. Her works are a joyful representation of unpleasant situations like litter and pollution.

Kennedy's work was selected for two juried shows during her time at the UofM. She has shown her work on various venues in Memphis, TN since graduating. For the month of May 2022, her work was displayed in the gallery at StockandBelle, 387 South Main St. She is currently curating a series of shows at the same venue throughout 2024

Toxic_2021_Oil on canvas_16 x 16 inches
Who Is Really in Charge?_2020_Acrylic and mixed media on paper_22 x 30 inches
Habit_2021_Oil and cigarette parts on styrofoam_15 x15 x15 inches
Bleed_2020_Oil and cigarette ashes on canvas_10 x 20 inches