Rust, sediment, truck tarps, polycarbonate sheets—materials that often escape our attention or whose transien- ce we neglect are key components of Kelly Weiss’s artistic work. She collects these materials on walks through urban and industrial spaces, and later places them in direct relation to the space, environment, and conditions of her exhibition venues.
Weiss’s annual editions are small-format polycarbonate panels. They enclose fabrics pressed together, and they are also encased by fabric. What emerges from this interplay are images of parallel lines and flowing folds, of pigment and rust inscribed with time and use—small threads seem to meander across the panels, while residues of earth settle in other places. Weiss first painted the fabrics and then placed them on the banks of the River Weser for a while, where they were affected and shaped by the rhythms of this tidal river. Both the polycarbonate panels and the paintings bear traces of the past and memories of place. With these works, Weiss captures seemingly inconspicuous details and draws attention to things we might otherwise overlook.
Weiss’s annual editions tie in with the exhibition Quiet enough to forget, which she shows at the GAK in 2025–26. Additional pieces of fabric hang as a large-format painting installation in the exhibition space, close to a wall made of recycled polycarbonate panels. In both her expansive room installation and in her small-format annual editions, the materials and the traces blur to form new images through superimposition and translucency.
Kelly Weiss (*1996, lives in Lyon) has been a resident
at the studios of CAP–Centre d’art de Saint-Fons since 2024. She creates installations consisting of paintings, recycled elements, and constructions placed on the floor. These various media are captured pictorially and examined in different states of change and intervention. In February 2025, she presented her first institutional solo exhibition at Le 19, Centre régional d’art contemporain in Montbéliard, France.
Jahresgabe 2025
Kelly Weiss
Sandwich space (in between)
2025
Fabric, pigments, polycarbonate
45 x 27 cm
5 unique pieces
with certificate
320,- each incl. 7% VAT