Kelly D Villalba is a visual artist working in multiple mediums including painting, performance, installation, video, and sculpture. In her practice she explores the concept of containment and the body’s innate ability to hold and protect. Her work is inspired by her lived experiences and the experiences of those who came before her. She uses abstraction as a way to investigate parts of the self in need of investigation and care. By leaning into the organic, she uses accessible materials to transform them into beautiful and strange works of art. She discovers the material’s potential by continuously working within its boundaries to reveal something new.

Kelly has performed and exhibited her artworks at the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the Mueller Gallery in Caldwell, NJ, The JCAST in Jersey City, NJ, the Newark Arts Festival in Newark, NJ, and Deep Space Gallery in Jersey City, NJ. She graduated with her B.F.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in sculpture from Caldwell University in May 2017.