artist statement
The volatility of fireworks amplifies the stillness that follows. What’s left after the burst of light is a ghost of an event. I ignite small ground fireworks and other combustible materials. What remains is the work—smoke transfer, burn marks, tactile char, cloudy washes of color inscribed through flame and pushed across the surface with water. My work gives the spectacle of flame the context of its residue, and my practice intersects drawing, installation, video, and performance.
This residue has a distinct aroma—sulfur and char hang in the air. On wood panels, the grain glows through open areas, functioning almost as a light source. A dense, tactile carbon buildup contrasts with atmospheric fields of lavender, indigo, burnt sienna, and sulfur yellow, all arising from combustion chemistry. Diffuse traces of smoke move with arcing burn patterns inscribed by spinning fireworks—marks carrying kinetic memory. On black paper, residue appears as light against void, and fireworks burn holes into scorched substrate. When lit, these irregular holes project a clean star pattern onto the surrounding walls. What was subtracted from the paper is added to the room.
The night sky is a form of residue, a ghost—light reaching us long after the event. From a distance, the work reads as celestial, but up close, the same surface becomes tactual particulate. From ground fireworks to cosmic phenomena, radial dispersal of energy follows organic visual patterns. My work is both the direct trace of a small explosion and the likeness of a massive one.
Biography
Kyle Selley (b. 1992, Kansas City, Missouri) is an artist working across drawing, installation, performance, and video. His practice centers on residue, specifically what fireworks and combustible materials leave behind, framing the explosive event through its aftermath. His work explores topics surrounding the contemporary sublime, the archive, craft, and spectacle.
Selley has maintained a relationship with fireworks since childhood, long before incorporating them into a fine art practice. Through a decade of controlled ignitions, observation, interdisciplinary study, and formal refinement, a body of work has emerged, expanding across disciplines.
He holds a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, studied sculpture and ceramics at the University of Tasmania, and received his MFA from the University of Florida, where he served as Instructor of Record in sculpture. His teaching integrates fabrication, material experimentation, chance, and conceptual development within contemporary art discourse. He founded In-Haus Habitat, an artist-run project space in Gainesville.
Selley has presented over ten solo exhibitions across the Midwest and Southeast, with recent presentations at Foundry Art Centre in St. Louis and 4Most Gallery in Gainesville. Recent juried exhibitions include the Wiregrass Museum of Art, the University of Montana, and the University of North Alabama. His work has been featured in more than ten publications. Selley has sat on panels and performed with arts collectives at the Harn Museum of Art and Santa Fe College. His short films have received awards at Chroma Art Film Festival in Miami and Avalonia Festival of Short Films in Atlantic Beach.
