Michael Kelly Williams
CROSSING
September 18 to November 2, 2024
Michael Kelly Williams, Intervale Study #5, ©1991. Monoprint with pastel. 34 x 48 inches
Press Release
MICHAEL KELLY WILLIAMS: CROSSINGS
From September 18 to November 2, 2024, the Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba is pleased to present Michael Kelly Williams: Crossings, an exhibition by the New York-based sculptor and printmaker that is composed of 48 sculptures and works on paper and board created over a period of five decades, from 1974 to 2024. The exhibition is curated by Debra Vanderburg Spencer.
Williams, born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France but raised in Detroit, creates works that seem like visual poetry. Music and improvisation are integral in his choice of materials and abstract techniques. The two- and three-dimensional works are source-rich and abound with Jazz illusions. His work is almost impossible to conceive divorced from music; it encourages ideas that emerge magically and often provides clarity. His works can also be read as social critiques and as explorations of the fantastical and dream worlds.
Michael Kelly Williams was profoundly influenced by the circle of progressive New York artists, musicians and writers. He has been part of the veiled world of Jazz musicians, having an uncommon intimacy with many of the most formidable creators of the music. Iron Man (2022) is a tribute to both Eric Dolphy and Greg Tate, and Whistleman(2021) is dedicated to Rashaan Roland Kirk. Williams’ work is rooted in the American experience and in the retention of an African ethos, with a deep reading of Afrofuturism and the African Diaspora. Green Sweeper (2022) and Wodakota (2017) are dedicated to Native Americans issues. The lapis blue scarab, Khepera (2023), dedicated to the Egyptian deity, radiates from across the room.
The artist works seamlessly within his chosen approaches. Two-dimensional works that pay homage to poets and writers include For Paul Chambers (1974 woodcut) and Jes Grew, from a novel by Ishmael Reed (1986 monoprint). His 1982 color woodcut Afternoon of a Georgia Faun was inspired by Marion Brown and is the title of his album, andthe 2021 ink drawing, Tell Me A Bedtime Story, relates to the Herbie Hancock composition. The strength and elegance of sculptures such as Things to Come from Those Now Gone develops as homage to free-Jazz musicians, and the Yoruba inspired shrine, Olu Iwa: For Cecil Taylor beckons us, then opens up to become a place of contemplation. Williams blurs the lines between art and life by incorporating mundane objects, such as beads, shells, mirrors, keys, metal parts, and cords to achieve ideal transitions from dream to physical representation.
Abstracted cityscapes have been embedded in his work since 1974. The scale, marks and forms of Horns (1984) and Intervale Study, The El #5 (1991) lead us toward reading them as non-objective abstractions with landscape referents. Williams is concerned with movement, not stasis. His free-standing sculptures are tactile, both in the way they are conceived and assembled, and they compel us to encircle and move around them, inviting us into a space where music and movement vibrate.
Williams makes smart choices. Instead of a one-dimensional intellectual approach, this exposition shows us that his creations emerge from an inner, psychological life. Each carries an element of passion, creativity, skilled practice and most importantly a conviction in design and decision making, Spencer notes.
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 21, 3-6 pm
Discussion: Michael Kelly Williams and Herb Boyd, October 12, 3-5 pm
Gallery Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm
Location: 219 East Second Street at Avenue B
Kenkeleba programs are funded in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and many generous friends.
