Athena Victoria Kelly - Portfolio
Below is Athena's personal 20 best art projects. These display her style and range of mediums as an artist. The works are broken into 6 categories; 1). Large Sculpture, 2). Illustrations, 3). Photography, 4). Painting, 5). Ceramics, 6). Fashion & Wall Sculpture
1). Large Sculpture 1-4
April 11, 2023. Full room installation with accompanying stop motion animation.
Collaboration with Owen Mastroianni and Emily Renner.
Cetaceans
September 28, 2023.
60+ foot long whale sculpture made from recycled materials.
Athena was part of a team who helped create this life size sperm whale sculpture along with prop boats and sea kelp towers for the show Cetaceans.
Xavier
March 20, 2023.
Paper Mache, paint, and lighting.
Collab with Owen Mastroianni.
"Our beautiful child Xavier has been brought to life. They live in such a scary place. They only wish to hop and play. Such a precious fetus has never existed before. I Love Xavier." -Athena
Sally Squid
April 30, 2024.
Paper mache and mixed media sculpture. stood 18 feet tall, total length is 40 feet.
Giant puppet built for the 2024 UIUC puppet parade. Collaboration with Emma Haugh-Ewald, Owen Mastroianni, and Emily Renner.
Tower of Flesh (Crying Eye)
March 11, 2022.
Pen and Watercolor on Paper.
A living landscape cut into for corporate profits. Industrial equipment brings pain to the tower. It can only shed tears in response.
Falling Apart
November 15, 2023.
Charcoal and Chalk on Cardboard.
Depiction of the artist Athena melting among a barren plain. Behind her a sky of endless eyes. Is her seat a throne, or just a place to watch the universe end?
Weekly Nostalgia
October 3, 2023.
Photo Series.
(1) Repetition, (2) Love, (3) Fame, (4) Limits, (5) Reputation, (6) Restless, (7) Home, (8) The Meaning.
Take in this series on the cycles of passionate art making and destructive partying.
Red and the Wolf
November 30th, 2023.
A photo series.
With the exception of clothes and text, everything in these images are made of Athena's body parts. This story is a modern retelling of the classic tale Little Red Riding Hood. It comments on themes of perception, power, independence, and sexualization.
Gumball Demon
October 31, 2022.
Narrative Photo Series.
The full title of this piece is "Oh No! Me and My Friend Performed an Evil Ritual to Summon a Gumball Demon, and Now My Friend is Dead and I'm a Candy Demon!"
Letter to a Friend
December 13, 2022.
Photo Series.
"Hope this letter finds you well, my friend."
Featuring the iconic Daniel McGhee.
Birth of Athena
May 5th, 2024
Oil on Canvas, Rope, Clay, Fake Fur.
A self portrait of Athena under eminent threat as she rises from a crater in an apocalyptic setting.
Mothership
May 6, 2023.
Oil and Collage on Canvas.
In the year 9X88350YX Athena flys her space station by earth to see how the world is doing. The giant holographic spiral indicates Earth is thriving. Her fungi children hatch and cling to her. This is a beautful day for the cyborg artist.
Thank You for Coming to My Funeral
May 11, 2022.
Oil on Canvas.
The last art piece Athena made before transitioning. Inspired by filmmaking of the 1950s.
Tom's Party
March 9, 2023.
Oil on Canvas.
Inspired by the haunted halls of Athena's Studio. A friendly creature named tom is throwing a festive party.
The Abstraction
November 2, 2023.
Glazed Stoneware.
Clay as a painting, enjoy this world of sculpted shapes.
Beast of Intestines
February 9, 2024.
Ceramic and Glaze.
The Beast, glimpsed in material form.
The Hunger
October 17, 2023.
Glazed Stoneware.
The mouths yearn to be fed, but they always want more. Is it greed or gluttony?
6. Fashion & Wall Sculpture 18-20
Heavenly Auras- Biblically Accurate Angel Shoot
October 1, 2023.
Outfit made of Wood, Fake Fur, Clay, and Feathers.
Photography by Kyriaki Karavasis. This outfit was Athena's first attempt at making any sort of fashion piece. She worked so intensely that she had to visit emergency care due to the stresses of working 70+ hours per week to complete it.
Yearning Jellyfish Fit
May 4, 2024
Cotton and other natural fibers.
This outfit was created for the 2024 Re-Fashion show at UIUC. Yearning Jellyfish was part of a line of emotional pieces. This outfit is made to depict the feeling of yearning through the imagery of a Jellyfish caught in a fishing net.
Abbreviated Crisis
February 22, 2023.
Paper Mache on Canvas with a Florescent Light.
Abstraction formed through light and shadow rather than variation of pigments. Objects placed throughout this sculptural painting represent a severe illness Athena endured. Shown in a lit room on the left image, and in a dark room on the right image.
