by Dan Perkins

Khrys Kelly is a talented young artist who graced the Collabo exhibit with her distinctive jewelry and beautiful hand-dyed cloths.  Pictured above is one of Kelly's creations worn by performance artist @PEACE, pronounced At-Peace).

Kelly welcomed the opportunity to talk with diversityinbusiness.com, but stated at the outset of the interview that she had a higher calling to attend to as the evening came to a close.  "I can't stay long.  I have to go home and see my girls," said Kelly, mother of two, as she sat down to discuss her work.  

Kelly's bright and vibrant batik-styled cloths command center stage in the Collabo exhibit, which runs through January 20, 2007 in Gallery 6 of the Broward County Main Library. The library is located in the heart of Ft. Lauderdale's art and cultural center, in South Florida.

While preparing of the Collabo exhibit, Kelly decided to use her art to transport the audience beyond South Florida.  "If you visit African villages, you see all these amazingly beautiful dyed-cloths draped over fences and walls - just drying out.  I wanted my pieces to appear in this exhibit as though they were in that setting," said Kelly in reference to her decision to hang her work on display panels in the middle of the gallery space.

Above left: Performance Artist @PEACE wearing one of Khrys Kelly's designs; and right, Khrys Kelly enjoys a moment with fellow Collabo artist entrepreneur, Francesca Lalanne.

Seated on a series of draped pedestals, at the intersection of the two panels bearing Kelly's cloths, was performance artist @PEACE.  She was wearing one of Kelly's colorful garments and helped bring the display to life.  @PEACE was also adorned with a few examples of Kelly's stunning jewelry.

When asked about her approach to designing jewelry, Kelly said she allows the jewelry to design itself.  As she explained it, she senses the essence of each stone and configures each piece based on the energy of the stones and their interaction with one another and their connection with the materials that often frame them.

Although Kelly does not design jewelry pieces for specific individuals, she assured diversityinbusiness.com that every piece sold has gone to its rightful owner.  "Somehow, it always works out that the right piece goes to the right person.  I've never sold a piece that wasn't just right for the person that bought it," said Kelly.

When asked why she works with dyed cloth, Kelly traced her decision to her choice of college.  "I went to Howard University because my father wanted me to go there.  It wasn't my first choice," said Kelly who later embraced the college after taking a class that exposed her to various forms of African Art.  "Howard helped shape my consciousness and my art," she explained.

Kelly is eagerly looking to a future focused on entrepreneurship. She is putting the final touches on a web site that will carry both her jewelry and her line of clothing, which will feature her hand-dyed cloths.  "I'm really excited about being able to share my work with a much larger audience," said Kelly.

The End

Due to technical difficulties with our videotape, we are unable to provide video excerpts from our interview with Kelly.  We apology to Khrys Kelly and to our readers; and we look forward to featuring more of Kelly's work in the future.  To compensate for the interview, we have included Kelly's comments regarding her work as they appear in the Collabo brochure.

I wish I could say that I choose to be an artist.  Art chose me.  Since I was young, I have viewed life through a different lens.  I was able  to see beauty first.  To this day, I see life the same way; the beauty of a thing is always more present to me than anything else about it. My enthusiasm for adornment seemed innate.  I was drawn to anything that would enhance the inherent beauty of things, and therefore, textiles, ceramics and batik were natural choices.  The multifaceted nature of each design, the ability of two identically rendered pieces to brilliantly reflect each piece's uniqueness has allowed me to explore the many manifestations of beauty for close to a decade. The choice of adornment as an art form comes from a far-reaching tradition of using jewelry as a cultural statement.  The subconscious quest for power, the need for ritual and the appreciation of beauty are all represented in the choice of stone, texture, color, composition and positioning.  Like any other art, each piece must be reconciled with the principles of aesthetics and balance.  The exploration of these same principles is reconciled in each individual. Most importantly, adornment inspires a visceral connection that is felt by both the audience and the wearer.  The spirit of raw beauty takes a bodily form, and its energy is transformative. -  Khris Kelly