ABOUT
Kelda Van Patten creates disorienting pictorial spaces that utilize still life arrangements, collage, and re-photography to examine the ways in which the artificial world of kitsch stands in for the natural world. Her process involves layers of collage, drawing, and re-photography to form compositions where perceptions of reality and artifice are playfully shifted. Before digitalization, much of her work is done in front of a medium-format camera.
She holds a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, an MAT from Lewis & Clark College, and an MFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Recent exhibitions include If I had a flower for every time I think of you, Well Well Projects, Portland, OR (2024), Companians, The Vestibule, Seattle, WA (2023), and Fresh, Klompching Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (2022). She is a member of Well Well Projects (Portland, OR) and the recipient of multiple Regional Arts and Culture Council grants. Recent artist residencies include the Kala Institute (Berkeley, CA), Jentel (Sheridan, Wyoming), and the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (Otis, OR). Van Patten’s work has also been printed in several publications including Fraction Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Talking Pictures. Select projects have been commissioned by Meta Open Arts, licensed by Apple Inc., and reside in the collection of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.
She lives and works in Portland, OR.
Her work is available at Klompching Gallery, Koslov Larsen, Mantel, and here. For other purchase inquiries, contact the artist directly.