Art does not solve problems but makes us aware of their existence. It opens our eyes to see and our brain to imagine.
— Magdalena Abakanowicz
One of my grandmothers Kept Things, the other was a Grand Storyteller. Guided by their lasting influences, I make sculpture and installation using found and collected objects working intuitively in response to place, relying on insight and a MacGyver-like resourcefulness. I work with familiar objects in unexpected ways eliciting relationships of a collective narrative while challenging notions of place and consumption.
Shaped by my parents’ and their post-depression-era farm upbringings, I trust my make-do tendencies and approach each project knowing that I have everything I need. I intentionally limit myself to working with what I already have, can scavenge, or can collect from others, embracing chance, working in concert with limitations instead of in spite of them.
I’m interested in the determination of finding material to work with, like artist Magdalena Abakanowicz’ salvaging of used fibers – like sisal and burlap – in post-war Poland. I’m inspired to challenge the ways we can view art, as experienced in the interactive touchable installations of Ann Hamilton. I see my tendencies towards highlighting banal objects in the work of Abraham Cruzvillegas and a desire to build sites for collaboration, activation, and social practice in the beautifully challenging work of Nick Cave.
My process is similar to improv, where I work in union with objects, coaxing them into surprising, deft configurations. I construct spaces that foster wonder, challenge our assumptions, and create room to view alternate perspectives, bringing people together to build connections around our rescued memories and shared stories.
My work reveals an exchange of value, an understanding of the importance and limitations of memory, and the vitality of play. Even while remarkably unique, we all share similar stories. Although challenging, I seek to engage people with different thoughts, beliefs, and experiences in conversation about how we see the world, and how the world can be. Sharing our stories and listening to others’ stories may not solve our problems, but it does create space for compassion.
bio
Kerry Phillips is an installation artist whose artwork borders on performance and social practice. Phillips’ work with found objects is intuitive, often site-specific, and steeped in remembrance and storytelling. She uses common objects in unexpected ways, working collaboratively with viewer-participants to reveal an exchange of value, the importance and limitations of memory, and the vitality of play.
Phillips earned an MFA from University of Arizona and has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including at the Orlando Museum of Art, Locust Projects, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, Boca Raton Museum of Art, and Bridge Red Projects. Recent solo projects include: Coincidence of Sound (2025), LnS Gallery; The patience of ordinary things (2024), Locust Projects; Between the mundane & the miraculous (2023), Bass Museum; and the opening of The Things Lab a socially-engaged art installation and creative reuse center co-created with artist Susan Caraballo.
She has exhibited and completed residencies in Ohio, Vermont, New York, North Carolina, and internationally in Berlin, Krakow, Mexico, and France. Her work is held in the collections of the Orlando Museum of Art, The Girls’ Club, and Mosquera Collections. Originally from Texas, Phillips works in Miami and, contrary to her family’s wishes, doesn’t paint pretty pictures. Represented by LnS Gallery in Miami.