Through the use of metals and materials such as wood and Japanese paper, Jay Kelly explores forms that seem designed to capture something very small: they evoke grenades while also carrying the lightness of the delicate lines of a Calder-like circus. The dusty colors of his work, combined with the asymmetry of the shapes, evoke a time that has passed, leaving behind silent reminiscences.

Born in Pasadena, John Kelly lives and works in New York City. Kelly's work is featured in prestigious collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY), Brooklyn Museum (Brooklyn, NY), The British Museum (London, England), Princeton University Art Museum (Princeton, NJ), and JP Morgan Chase (New York, NY), among others. His pieces are also part of the Sarah-Ann and Werner Kramarsky collection at Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente in Segovia, Spain. Additionally, his work was included in What is a Line? Drawings from the Collection at Yale University Art Gallery, alongside works by Richard Serra, Brice Marden, and Carl Andre.