Tiny Gallery Artist
John Isaiah Kennedy
“Did I Save(d)? is an excerpt from an ongoing body of work exploring southern existentialism, cognitive dissonance, and experiences relating to a poor rural upbringing? These ideas are explored through paintings, illustrations, installations, and video. The video installation is a part of an ongoing collaboration with Beatrix Hedeinreich.”
A Red Room in a Black Lodge
30 x 24
Acrylic on Panel
2024
750$
Isaiah Kennedy
Black Room in a Red Lodge
16 x 17
Acrylic and Ink on Mounted Paper
2024
275$
Isaiah Kennedy
R. Vessel
5 x 3
Readymade Object
1998
NFS
Isaiah Kennedy
Ix Nay on Gam Bay
5 x 5
Graphite and Ink on Paper
2025
100$
Isaiah Kennedy
Q.U.I.L.T.
7 x 37
Acrylic on Panel
2025
75$
Isaiah Kennedy
Did I Save(d)?
Collage Video on CRT
2025
Collaboration between Beatrix Heidenreich and Isaiah Kennedy
John Isaiah Kennedy’s Artist Statement:
The South lays like a shadow behind its children. For a lot of people, its influence is inseparable and unkillable, whether one accepts it with open arms or knives drawn. In regard to this influence, I find myself reflected in Willie Morris’s statement,
“I am a Southerner. I like the feel of these words. I could no more be otherwise than I could shed my outer skin or change the color of my eyes. I know, because I have thought about it.”
Questions and musings about my southern experiences are explored through concepts such as masculinity, class struggle, lost faith, Japanese influence, and cognitive dissonance. These notions are investigated through a visual language informed by pop-culture imagery, art historical moments, and autobiographical references.
The media of acrylic paint, drawings, and wood assemblages are used as vehicles for exploration. A background in carpentry and collage informs elements of the work. Special attention is paid to the level of finish on wooden components and the cleanliness of paint layers. Collage lives through illustrative mark making, black shapes as shadow, and a conversational method.
