LYNN CHRISTINE KELLY
THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

SEPTEMBER 9 TO 26, 2015
RECEPTION: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 6 - 9 PM

The Forest for the Trees, 2015
Fabric, steel, monofilament, dimensions variable (10' high)

The Red Head Gallery is pleased to present The Forest for the Trees, an exhibition of new works by artist Lynn Christine Kelly.

The Forest for the Trees envelopes the gallery with an immersive experience that aims to bring something of the forest to the city.  An installation of fabric trees, all suspended from the ceiling, with diffuse light from above, and the subtle sound of life draws you in, enhancing the feeling you might be somewhere other than a building in downtown Toronto.  As you walk through the trees you cannot help but touch them, moving them, disturbing them. After you pass by, the disruption fades and the trees return to their natural state of being.  A subtle comment on how the environment restores itself after humankind has gone.

"I believe an artist must make work that is true to their beliefs and comes from their own particular way of seeing the world.  Growing up in the Shuswap region of British Columbia, with a father engaged in the forest industry, I learned at a young age to appreciate the great outdoors.  As an adult I moved to the city and spent many years in the construction industry and I continue to reside there today. Reflecting the duality of my life, the temporality of geological and constructed forms merge with the concept of human existance, referencing the vulnerability of the natural and the temporality of the constructed. 

Multifaceted, my work involves painting, drawing, sculpture, and installation and all of the work lacks an overtly human presence.  Possessing a duality of possibility, the scenes suggest either something has happened or it is about to happen.  Referencing that which might be beginning or might be ending, sites of destruction or perhaps rejuvenation, the work talks about the cycles of life, regeneration if you will, the remains of humankind’s imprint." - Lynn Christine Kelly

Lynn Christine Kelly is a graduate of the Masters of Fine Arts program at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, UK (2008) and the BFA program at the Ontario College of Art and Design, with Distinction (2006).She has exhibited nationally and internationally, has work in Canadian corporate collections as well as private collections worldwide, and has received numerous grants from the Ontario Arts Council. Kelly currently lives and works in Toronto and is a member of the Red Head Gallery.