Kelly Reedy, The Golden Buddha 45.5 cm x 35.5 cm acrylic and collage on board

I grew up in a small Midwestern town in the US. As a child I remember myself constantly drawing and painting. I also knew at a very young age I wanted to travel to other places and experience different cultures. I am still doing these two things!

After completing my Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and drawing from the University of Wisconsin in 1985, I moved to Paris, France where I continued my studies at the Sorbonne and L'Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. Visiting the many museums and cathedrals in Europe greatly influenced my own work. Byzantine and Medieval masterworks inspired me the most. After returning to the US in 1989, I moved to N.Y.C. and tasted the excitement of living in one of the greatest art capitals in the world. There I learned much from my fellow artists and the contemporary art scene.

How has living in Singapore over the past 8 years affected your art?

Moving to Singapore has had a profound effect on my art. To me Singapore is wonderful because it is an absolute multicultural mix of East and West. All of this is reflected in the people, food, religious customs, and artistic expression one encounters here. Little did I know when I arrived that my love of Byzantine sacred art and Medieval icons would be found in the realm of Asian folk art on paper. My interest in art history continued as I began researching how paper is traditionally used as "prayer" in China, Japan, and India. I started creating collaged works with hand-made papers, and even learned how to scroll large sheets of rice paper together.

Today your work appears very eclectic using both Eastern and Western symbolism, as well as text. Could you tell us about your inspirations for your artwork "Sacrifices"?

My most recent series, "Sacrifices and Offerings", combines my interest in color and pattern with symbols and poetry. Here I have combined Greek symbols, Jain iconography, and early Japanese Buddhist printing techniques into a painted visual tapestry. I have used bits and pieces of a poem by Grace Paley, "What If (This Week)", questioning humankind's incessant thirst for conflict. I am very much interested in socio-political issues. Through my work I explore, with different layers of material and meaning, what is happening in our world. My work can be read on different levels, but in the end the image must speak for itself.

Kelly Reedy lives and works in Singapore. She has shown her art internationally in Paris, Chicago, and Berlin. Locally she has held a solo exhibition at the Galerie Dauphin and has participated in numerous group shows at venues such as the Jendela Visual Arts Space, Esplanade, the Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Alliance Française, and Sculpture Square. She is currently preparing a solo exhibition, "Sacrifices and Offerings". Her work was recently highlighted in two US art publications: Porcupine Literary Arts Magazine, Vol.8, Issue 2, as well as the Woman Made Gallery Newsletter, Spring 2005, In 2006 she will be giving a series of slide lectures and workshops on "Paper as Prayer" in Asian folk art.

For more information and to contact the artist, please visit: www.kellyreedy.com