Benjamin
Kelley

Floodplain

May 12 – 28, 2016

ICA Baltimore in collaboration with the Icebox Project Space at Crane Arts

Floodplain is comprised of two new artworks, one of which consists of fragments from a rare, early model F15 fighter aircraft reconfigured in the center of the gallery space. Encircling the chaotic composition is the second piece: a triptych of mechanized vessels producing an opaque tiding bath of iron oxide submerging contemporary relics of brand religion in order to create a buildup of rust residue on the once pristine objects.

Benjamin Kelley

Benjamin Kelley, driven by the smell of oak, the elegance of precision, and the cult of commodity, re-contextualizes found objects with altered and fabricated structures. His works have been exhibited both locally and nationally, including solo exhibitions at CONNERSMITH (2013); Open Space (2011); Patty and Rusty Rueff Gallery at Purdue University (2009). Group exhibitions have included those at The Contemporary Museum (2012), Maryland Art Place (2011, 2010), Gallery Four (2010), and Creative Alliance (2009). Kelley has been awarded the Toby Devon Lewis Fellowship (2010) and has been a finalist for the Janet and Walter Sondhiem Prize at the Baltimore Museum of Art in 2015 and the Walters Art Museum in 2017. His work has been featured in the Washington Post, Washington City Paper, and the Baltimore City Paper. Kelley is a graduate of the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Benjamin Kelley is represented by CONNERSMITH, Washington, DC.

Floodplain is made possible in part by a grant from the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.

The Icebox Project Space

The Icebox Project Space is an innovative and experimental contemporary exhibition space where visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, and performers are able to work, think, and collaborate within a uniquely large scale and open structure. The Icebox boldly explores the notion and limitations of what defines an exhibition and seeks to challenge and explore while fostering the creative process. The Icebox engages a broad national and international audience, and visitors should expect a level of engagement with programming, with the space itself, and with the community it continues to build. Please join us in creating this expanding dialogue.