Artist statement

Picture three musicians all with a different instrument. They pick a theme such as “a new mythology”. One musician makes a sound,  the second responds,  the third responds to both sounds and so on. They build upon each other’s sounds and architecture develops. However, in this case the musicians are replaced by visual artists and instead of instruments they have paint brushes or charcoal. They choose a theme and go about creating an image the same way as the musicians, building and improvising on the spot to create a work of art. In the case of the Kindred Art Collaborative members, some of the ideas they share are:  replacing old myths and old visual social stereo types of race and gender with new mythology and current multi-cultural and gender values and creating art that is both random (relying heavily on chance and process) and at the same time deliberate .  Carl Cellini

No doubt, mostly everyone is aware of the changing times. Our society is out of balance.  The changes we see seem to reflect both events in the now with a blending of events of the past. We thought we were moving forward to only find our paths back to former atrocities. We are wired, droned, profiled and living in a culture marginalized and based on great wealth, sex and power. The images I paint are from an future world which reflect and contrast current world ideals. The dimensions I paint, are within us and outside of us and is both beautiful and horrific. We are a multicultural society. Everyone's origins are key elements to finding the balance of nature we sorely need.  In art there is also an imbalance of images. The time has come to acknowledge art as culturally rich in its diversity and having an important role in moving our society forward in a more relevant,expansive way. With enlightenment, positivism and effort we can rise. This is the realm in which my work inhabits. Mikel Elam

The works of the Kindred Art Collaborative are inspired by a wild pursuit of our collective imagination, like a jazz improvisation, touching associations with our past and blending our personal histories with our shared vision of the culture we grew up in. 

The works explore our differences and shared realities and make fraught attempts to connect with our inner selves and the culture at large. The process of collaboration is veiled; it is a mysterious artistic adventure with unknown outcomes. But it’s clear that these works are much more than the sum of our individual abilities: the act of working together creates a new persona: Kindred. Richard Metz