Kelly O’Connor, Dorothy II (Portrait of the artist’s grandmother Dorothy), 2017, digitally printed image and mixed media collage, 30 X 22 in.
The Old Jail Art Center in Albany, TX, a contemporary program for site specific installations, is featuring Kelly O’Connor’s (BFA in Studio Art, 2005) exhibition OZ / ODESSA from now until February 3, 2018.
Oz represents a city of dreams and a means back to reality, while Odessa represents dreams bound by harsh realities. O’Connor attempts to reveal the similarities and polarities of the two cities and their inhabitants - one fantasy and one real — to weave a non-linear narrative. A visual excess of color, symbolic references, seemingly disparate objects, and perfume oil become the sensory vehicles as viewers explore themes of authenticity, disillusionment, excess and escapism. References to Judy Garland and O’Connor’s grandmother (both named Dorothy), “institutional” green used in jails and asylums, and other powerful imagery are featured in this installation.
O’Connor’s work is less about nostalgia and more about understanding how myth and reality shape our understanding of the world.