IMAGINATION OF KELLI ANTHONY
HOW KELLI ANTHONY BECAME AN ARTIST
KELLI ANTHONY IS A film maker, poet, painter, photographer and digital artist FROM THE DRUG INFESTED AND VIOLENT 79TH STREET PART OF CHICAGO.
COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL KELLI ANTHONY WAS GOALLESS, JOBLESS, UNSKILLED AND BY 20 YEARS OLD ALREADY A DROPOUT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE OF CHICAGO.
AFTER WATCHING A DOCUMENTARY ON DAVE LACHAPELLE, ANTHONY BECAME INSPIRED BY LACHAPELLE AND LACHAPELLE'S MENTOR ANDY WARHOL AND THEIR USE OF COLOR. BLENDING THE TWO ELEMENTS OF COLOR AND THE AGGRESSION OF THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO ANTHONY BECAME A FASHION DESIGNER MAKING DRESSES OUT OF MAGAZINE PAPER.
STRUGGLING TO FIND PHOTOGRAPHERS TO CAPTURE HIS DESIGNS CONCEPTUALLY ACCURATE, ANTHONY START SHOOTING HIS DESIGNS HIMSELF AND FELL IN LOVE WITH THE IDEA OF USING WOMEN, COLOR AND POP CULTURE TO TELL STORIES OF HEARTBREAK, DRUG ABUSE, DEPRESSION, NARCISSISM AND VANITY.
ADDICTED TO THE HYPER COLORS AND STORIES IN HIS PORTRAITS, ANTHONY EVOLVED AND STARTED TO WANT TO SEE HIS PORTRAITS MOVE AND STARTED FILMING HIS CONCEPTS. WHILE STUDYING FILM ANTHONY BEGAN TO LEARN ANIMATION AND DIGITAL ART TO INCORPORATE IN HIS FILM ART.
NOW BEING ABLE TO PLAY THE INSTRUMENTS OF FASHION DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM, ANIMATION AND DIGITAL ART ANTHONY IS USING HIS ONE MAN BAND TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF COLOR AND STORYTELLING OF POPCULTURE AND CULTURAL ISSUES.
ARTISTIC STYLE AND INFLUENCES
KELLI ANTHONY'S MAJOR INFLUENCES ARE 1980'S COMING OF AGE FILMS,1980'S HIGH SCHOOL PICTURE DAYS, 1980'S HEAVY METAL, 1960'S ADVERTISING, 1990'S VIDEO GAMES , 1990'S SIT-COMS, 19990'S HIPHOP, 1940'S FILM-NOIR, ANDY WARHOL, DAVE LA CHAPELLE, KANYE WEST, PHARRELL, 2PAC, JORDAN PEELE, TIM BURTON, BASQUIAT, THE SUPREMES, NEIL DE GRASSE TYSON, KRS-0NE, CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE, ASTROPHYSICS, SONY, 1990'S ZENITH TV'S , NIKE AND WOMEN.
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THESE INFLUENCES HELP KELLI ANTHONY CREATE A STYLE THAT WEARS NOSTALGIA, POP CULTURE AND A LOT OF COLOR.
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THE COLOR AND BEAUTY IN ANTHONY'S ARTWORK REPRESENTS OUR UNCONCERNED NATURE AND BANDAGING OF OUR CULTURAL ISSUES OF LOW SELF ESTEEM, DEPRESSION, DRUG ABUSE, VIOLENCE AND VANITY.
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ANTHONY USES POP CULTURAL REFERENCES TO ILLUSTRATE THE FACT THAT WE ARE ALL CONSUMING, AFFECTED AND GUILTY OF THE SAME BEHAVIORS OF THE WORLD AROUND US.
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THE NOSTALGIA IN ANTHONY'S ARTWORK SIMPLY DISPLAYS WHERE WE WERE, WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE IT SEEMS WE ARE GOING.
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ANTHONY's main antagonist and protagonist in all of his work is color and the many emotions it carries.