In such uncertainty forms the title: to lean in for a smooch with the art world and think not of how things are, but of how they could be; to form a Kissy Face and hope to be kissed back.
Kissy Face finds itself in a love triangle (or rhombus) with portraiture, fashion illustration, and inky naivety. Jolly combines these fields to seek something novel in either its cooperation or dissension; black dot eyes on a life study; cartoonish, seemingly dismissive strokes to create a space; experimenting with youthful enthusiasm.
The pieces hope to bring about a warmth and curiosity removed from laboured ideology; to impart their decorative existence rather than sermonise to a mystified audience.
The larger offerings in Kissy Face are acrylic paint on board, while the smaller pieces work with ink on paper. The two choices share similar subject matter, yet oppose in execution. Jolly's ink on paper shows the purity of hard, objective outlines, while the acrylic pieces deal almost exclusively in substance and solidity. Some healthy rule-breaking from both camps serve as a stylistic bridge.
This is Keiren Jolly's first exhibition after flirting with a string of publications, illustrating for the odd article here and there. The attempt to mix aesthetics mirrors Jolly's own plunge into a gallery setting, wrestling the barriers between art and illustration while uncertain of amalgamation or self-sabotage.
In such uncertainty forms the title: to lean in for a smooch with the art world and think not of how things are, but of how they could be; to form a Kissy Face and hope to be kissed back.
Keiren Jolly is a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator from Sydney. His collaborative catalogue includes The Big Smoke, The BRAG, Tamworth Country Music Festival, and APRA AMCOS.
Follow @keirenjolly on all good social media near you, and find his archive at keirenjolly.com
Kissy Face finds itself in a love triangle (or rhombus) with portraiture, fashion illustration, and inky naivety. Jolly combines these fields to seek something novel in either its cooperation or dissension; black dot eyes on a life study; cartoonish, seemingly dismissive strokes to create a space; experimenting with youthful enthusiasm.
The pieces hope to bring about a warmth and curiosity removed from laboured ideology; to impart their decorative existence rather than sermonise to a mystified audience.
The larger offerings in Kissy Face are acrylic paint on board, while the smaller pieces work with ink on paper. The two choices share similar subject matter, yet oppose in execution. Jolly's ink on paper shows the purity of hard, objective outlines, while the acrylic pieces deal almost exclusively in substance and solidity. Some healthy rule-breaking from both camps serve as a stylistic bridge.
This is Keiren Jolly's first exhibition after flirting with a string of publications, illustrating for the odd article here and there. The attempt to mix aesthetics mirrors Jolly's own plunge into a gallery setting, wrestling the barriers between art and illustration while uncertain of amalgamation or self-sabotage.
In such uncertainty forms the title: to lean in for a smooch with the art world and think not of how things are, but of how they could be; to form a Kissy Face and hope to be kissed back.
Keiren Jolly is a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator from Sydney. His collaborative catalogue includes The Big Smoke, The BRAG, Tamworth Country Music Festival, and APRA AMCOS.
Follow @keirenjolly on all good social media near you, and find his archive at keirenjolly.com
