Submitted by Nelson Public Library
A multimedia art series at the Nelson Public Library asks us to consider nostalgia, defined by visual artist Kelly Shpeley as “a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for the ‘return to’ or of some period or irrecoverable condition.”
“Each one of us bonds to memory in our own way. Each trigger, each moment is unique within each of us,” says Shpeley. “The chemical and biological process is similar, but what we choose to amplify is different. So nuanced is each puzzle piece in our individual experience. There are common threads in nostalgia, certain images evoke emotion and wonder.”
Each house-shaped painting includes depictions of children from a past era and incorporate rainbows, along with a dose of surreality. Viewers are asked to consider the artwork and respond in writing with whatever these pieces evoke. In this way, the exhibition in the library’s lounge area becomes a conversation as viewers take a moment to write in the book provided alongside the show.
Shpeley has had gallery showings in Canada, the United States, and Norway, and been published in a variety of notable magazines, including Juxtapose. She has worked in the film industry with a number of directors, including Steven Spielberg, and done artwork for Stan Lee… Excelsior! and Neil Gaiman’s Calendar of Tales.
Shpeley painted the original poster for the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. John Cleese and Noam Chomsky are owners of some of her art prints. In Nelson, she teaches at Oxygen Art Centre and participated in the 2018 International Mural Festival. She is currently working on a stop motion animation with associates of ILM Animation Studio.
The exhibition continues until the end of October.
