statement

through texture and abstraction among the figurative, i seek to make the wilderness of the mind visible. i cherish mediums that rebel against containment. i greet pigment as a vibrant dirt and paint as peaceful mud. ink is rain and charcoal is dust.

inspired by mold, suns, moons, inkblots, ancient ceramics, and motif found in the wild, i hope to stir and soothe the mind. i sit chaos next to the careful and point to the neglected wilderness within and around us.

i’ve been including materials like plastic, ash, rust, wax, and dried spices into my process with oil painting. i embrace the liminality of corrosion when introducing unorthodox materials to the oils, welcoming the transience. the canvas holds these as symbols while i express my experiences of psychosis, gender, and queerness. my work expresses my own extreme emotions. it provides a home for my incessant contemplations on a journey to inner peace.

bio

wylder keane is a contemporary multidisciplinary artist / poet based in chicago. working primarily in oil painting, they incorporate materials and surfaces like rust, cardboard, repurposed plastic, rocks, minerals, and herbs into their process. their work, which also examines the relationships between humans and our inner nature, has been nominated for a Skyway Art award and has appeared in various showcases and independent publications such as Nova, The Ophelia Gazette, and Horizons.

raised in illinois, based in chicago

wylder o’keane they/them