Kadie Salfi
BIO
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Kadie Salfi uses a striking Pop palette to explore themes of depredation, destruction, and desire. From her early silkscreens of bubblegum-hued bomber planes to her series of Arabian camels printed on brightly dyed plaster with pure crude oil, Salfi presents incisive social and personal commentary with a sly, stylish sensibility. Throughout the 2010s, she focused on America’s gun culture, rendering trophy species in Ben-Day dots and painting firearms with glossy splashes of over-the-counter beauty products. Her pieces were accompanied by unsettling captions such as "To kill his wife" or "To kill your daughter," confronting viewers with stark, uncomfortable realities. This ongoing project culminated in "Every Sixteen Hours", a solo show at Brooklyn's pioneering A.I.R. Gallery, where the interplay between beauty and violence came to a head.
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In her most recent body of work, "Sweet Tender Love", Salfi delves into her family history, bringing a deeply personal narrative to her art. Yet, even in its intimacy, this series resonates universally, inviting reflections on love, loss, and longing.
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Born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1972, Salfi studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and spent two years at Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles, where she printed editions for renowned artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Serra, Vija Celmins, and Jasper Johns. Salfi now maintains a dedicated studio practice in Little Compton, RI, and has exhibited her work in solo shows across both coasts, including A.I.R. Gallery (Brooklyn), Cornell University and Corners Gallery (Ithaca, NY), Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY, Mark Wolfe Contemporary Art (San Francisco), and BCA Center (Burlington, VT). Her work has been featured in the eCORNELL Keynote Series, Of Note Magazine, City Limits, Out of Bounds Radio, The Cornell Daily Sun, Chapter89 Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Artscope.
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