The Sobey Art Award is a big deal.
First of all, it’s a hefty chunk of change. The winner takes home prize money to the tune of $50,000; four other finalists receive $4,000 each. Second, it’s only awarded once a year, and only to artists younger than 40 – in other words, up-and-comers, the new wave in the visual arts.
To top all that off, although the Sobey Art Award is organized by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, no Maritimer has ever taken home the prize.
Stephen Kelly might change that last part. An artist and Dalhousie Computer Science student, Mr. Kelly’s recent work got him placed on the Sobey’s long list after Dal Art Gallery curator Peter Dykhuis nominated him for the prestigious prize.
“Peter and I are working together right now on an art installation for the Mona Campbell building. We received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to research and develop the project,” explains Mr. Kelly, who claims surprise at having made the cut.
“I found out that I was on the long list by reading the press release from the AGNS on the day it came out. I was somewhat surprised about it. I know so many amazing artists on the East Coast, all of whom deserve to be recognized. It’s a cliché to say, but in this case it really is a great thing just to be nominated.”
Whether he wins or not, his long list placement for the Sobey Art Award can only benefit Mr. Kelly’s artistic career. “I think a lot of people in Canada saw my name for this first time on this list, so it’s great publicity!”
Blending passions
Computer science and the fine arts might seem an odd marriage, but Mr. Kelly’s artistic practice blends them seamlessly. “I’m interested in technology, so a lot of my work incorporates electronics, mechanics, and computing in various ways,” he explains of his work. “There is so much mystery in these things. Using technology in DIY or unconventional ways allows me to make artworks that change over time and often surprise me by behaving in ways that I haven’t intended. In that respect, making art is the process of exploring or researching something.”
A prime example of his innovative style is Mr. Kelly’s exhibit Open Tuning (WaveUp), which showed at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia from March 2010 to January 2011. Open Tuning created a sound-and-movement show through data transmitted electronically from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The Coast reviewer Sean Flinn called the exhibit “fun and visceral.” Info Glow, on the other hand — the piece Mr. Kelly is creating for the new Mona Campbell building — will be a constantly-changing display incorporating LED lights and subtle motion.
In his personal life, Mr. Kelly keeps grounded and complements his techno-artistry with back-to-nature hobbies including hiking, surfing, and fishing. “I eat a lot of fish and I like catching my own when I can, usually by casting right from the rocks in Prospect,” he says. “I also just planted a vegetable garden in my backyard for the first time, which I’m pretty excited about.”
Connecting interests
Mr. Kelly is also a musician who did a stint as a broadcast technician at Dalhousie’s home station CKDU, a job that partially inspired his decision to study Computer Science at Dalhousie.
“CKDU was transitioning from analogue editing equipment,” says Mr. Kelly. “With computer programming becoming a big part of my job at CKDU and my art practice… I decided to take some Computer Science courses at Dal in order to gain technical skills. The more courses I took, the more I became interested in the current CS research going on right now at Dal.” Mr. Kelly’s now studying towards his Masters in Computer Science.
The Sobey Art Award’s shortlist will selected in late June and a final winner announced at a gala in mid-November. With a little luck, Dalhousie’s Stephen Kelly will be the first Atlantic winner of this coveted award. Either way, his nomination is sure to be one of a long list of successes for one of Nova Scotia’s most exciting young artists.
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