Confetti, Crackle, Pop, Kelly-Kozma

Confetti, Crackle, Pop, Kelly Kozma at Paradigm Gallery + Studio

“Confetti are small pieces or streamers of paper, mylar, or metallic material which are usually thrown at parades, sporting team winners, and celebrations, especially weddings (and game shows, following the end of a milestone or the occasion of a big win). The origins are from the Latin confectum, with confetti the plural of Italian confetto, small sweet. Modern paper confetti trace back to symbolic rituals of tossing grains and sweets during special occasions, traditional for numerous cultures throughout history as an ancient custom dating back to pagan times, but adapted from sweets and grains to paper through the centuries.” – Wikipedia

Confetti, Crackle, Pop, Kelly-KozmaConfetti, Crackle, Pop, Kelly Kozma at Paradigm Gallery + StudioSo Many People in the Neighborhood. 25.5” x 25.5”, hand embroidery, colored pencil, graphite, collage, latex paint, textured metallic paint & gloss medium, 2014

Snap, Crackle and Pop are cartoon characters, the mascots for Rice Krispies cereal who first appeared on product packaging in 1933. By combining the fun and function of tiny bits of matter like confetti and kid’s breakfast food Kelly Kozma designed an abstract tour de force exploding in your head the way Pop Rocks burst in your mouth. It’s like a party for the psyche with sparkle, glitter, shine and silliness. There is spirituality, industry and intellect mushed like marshmallow Fluff into bits of puffed imagination.

“Snap”, “Crackle”, and “Pop” are terms sometimes facetiously used for the fourth, fifth, and sixth derivatives of position.[4] The first through third derivatives are well known. The first derivative of position with respect to time is velocity, the second is acceleration and the third is jerk. The fourth derivative of position is more formally known as Jounce. There is no formal designation for the fifth and sixth derivatives of position. Derivatives of position refers to Kinematics, the branch of classical mechanics which describes the motion of points, bodies (objects) and systems of bodies (groups of objects) without consideration of the causes of motion.” – Wikipedia

Confetti, Crackle, Pop, Kelly-KozmaConfetti, Crackle, Pop, Kelly Kozma at Paradigm Gallery + StudioHotel Lobby, 28.375” x 33.375” assorted punched paper hand-stitched together

“My work is extremely process driven. There are elements based on probability and chance, as well as ones that incorporate exceedingly planned out details. Often I use dice as a way of determining which colors to use, while other times I will draw a thousand tiny bricks by hand.  Combining these methods creates an organic rhythm that could not exist if I were making all of the choices solely on my own accord.

Within this framework, I create brightly colored, pattern driven imagery of abstracted worlds. The geometric and geographical forms being used are often reminiscent of this earth but seemingly exist elsewhere. I combine techniques of hand embroidery, drawing and painting, which breathes a contemporary life into traditional craft. With each meticulous stitch an intimacy generates between the work and myself and an excitement builds as a flat sheet of paper transforms into a textile-based piece.

This body of work is about finding a balance between my artist’s hand and that, which is left up to chance. It embodies the notion of knowing when to give up control and when to exude it completely.” – Kelly Kozma artist statement

Over the winter, sometimes while watching TV, Kelly Kozma made fast work of hole punching. Using scanned business cards, colorful graphic papers and found materials she perforated the sheets not for saving pages in a binder but for the tiny perfect circles. Each dot of paper then is itself perforated and then stitched together like a quilt, each dot connected by thread to it’s neighboring dot creating an eye-popping construction loaded with information like a code. Punching holes must be a satisfying exercise like meditation and hand exercises combined into a mantra of action, thought, movement and energy. Kelly saved all the left-overs of the hole-punching, they are strewn around the gallery like the aftermath of a kid’s birthday party gone wild.

Confetti, Crackle, Pop, Kelly-KozmaConfetti, Crackle, Pop, Kelly Kozma at Paradigm Gallery + StudioTogether Now, 32.375” x 37.375” punched business cards hand-stitched together, 2014

Kelly Kozma‘s business card features Together Now, a sentimental message to all of her contacts, friends, and associates. Instead of using the collections of business cards, she scanned and printed them, then processed the image into the collage like an Exquisite Corpse. The exhibition flows through the room like a stream of consciousness, pausing at collections of witty quotes created from perfect French knots, to re-embroidered backside prints of embroidered mixed media collage and onto hang tags, decorated posters and wood panels. Each piece is carefully, meticulously framed with a unique style and dotted lines and dashes lead the eye through the room reminding you to look high and look low. Kelly Kozma makes you look.

Confetti Crackle Pop from Paradigm Gallery + Studio on Vimeo.

“Established February 2010, Paradigm Gallery + Studio started as a project between co-founders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston, as a space in which to create artwork, to exhibit the work of their peers, and to invite the members of the local community make their own artwork in a welcoming gallery setting.

Paradigm Gallery + Studio provides an artistic space for both the visual and performing arts, with a focus on dedicated, emerging Philadelphia-based artists.  We provide artists with individualized attention, strong promotional support and a transformable gallery space to make their own.  We strive to make art accessible to the whole community through free bi-weekly events and support work that welcomes a wide audience.” About Paradigm Gallery + Studio

Confetti, Crackle, Pop, Kelly Kozma at Paradigm Gallery + Studio, through July 11th, 2015, 746 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19147. The gallery is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 12:00pm – 6:00pm, and is also open by appointment 7 days a week. See the collection here.

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