Kevin Killen
My practice is the creation of neon light sculptures and installations, often site-specific. I physically make the neon myself and this process of controlling the neon is very much part of the work. While different bodies of work have very separate theories behind them, the connection is my desire to use light to translate movement into tangible sculptural forms.
The most recent body of work, Infinity Studies: Monotony, draws on time and motion studies, as investigated by Frederick Winslow Taylor (time) and Frank and Lilian Gilbreth (motion), that document the time it should take to complete a process and how breaking down the process into components and removing unnecessary ones increases efficiency. Looking at the number of repetitive tasks my wife performs to look after our three children and the house, I created an immersive box to simulate the claustrophobia felt by my wife at the never-ending nature of her tasks.
Another project, Cartography - Tipping Point, used a camera to map “light paintings” of the city that I then translated into neon sculptures. Part of the process was to record the sounds of the city to match with the sequence of neon, creating a “living” sculpture that recorded the life of the city.
The series Human Movement - Certain Moments created light compositions tracing the movement of a dancer, with the resulting neon sculptures embodying the kinetic energy of the performance. As with many of my works, the breath of the subject was important, with the sequencing of lights designed to match the inhalation rhythms of the dancer.
Kevin Killen current practice is the creation of self-made neon light sculptures and installations, often site-specific. The works capture moments in time, representing life and peoples’ physical journeys as snapshots of lives. Born in 1977 in Belfast, he obtained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from the Surrey Institute of Art and Design University College (now the UCA) in 1999 and specialist training in neon making in Dallas, Texas in 2009.
A large-scale neon installation was created for the National Trust’s Argory, Armagh, in May 2018 and other recent exhibitions include: MTV RE: DEFINE 2018, Sculpture in the City, London, 2017; Dissolving Histories: A Moment in Time, Golden Thread Gallery, 2017; Tipping Point, QSS Bedford Street, Belfast, 2016; A1, F.E. McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge, 2015. Kevin Killen’s work is in numerous public and private collections including the Arts Council of Northern Ireland; Belfast City Council; Queens University & Belfast City Hospital. He has also created private commissions, including Epoch in Dallas, Texas in 2018. Selected publications include New Glass Review 39, The Corning Museum of Glass, USA, 2018; Sculpture Magazine USA, http://www.sculptureonline.org/sculpture September Issue, 2017; Frieze.com, https://frieze.com/article/buffer-zone 2017.
Date Selected Exhibitions Location
2018 Artificial Sunlight National Trust Argory Solo Exhibition
2015 A1 to F.E. McWilliam Gallery F.E. McWilliam Gallery Entrance Solo Exhibition
2015 Certain Moments The University Art Gallery Belfast Solo Exhibition
2003 On the margins Belfast Waterfront Hall Belfast Solo Exhibition
2002 The Outsider The Market Place Gallery Armagh Solo Exhibition
2018 MTV RE: DEFINE Dallas Texas Group Exhibition
2017 Dissolving Histories: A Moment Golden Thread Gallery Group Exhibition
2017 Sculpture in the City London 2017 City of London Square Mile Group Exhibition
2017 Breath Breathless R Space Lisburn Group Exhibition
2016 Tipping Point QSS Bedford St Belfast Group Exhibition
2016 Young II SO Fine Art Editions Dublin Group Exhibition
2015 Endless Wander Golden Thread Galley Project Space Group Exhibition
2015 The WAC Awards Wells 15 Wells Somerset Group Exhibition
2014 Foundation14 -Battery+ Co Offaly Group Exhibition
2010 A Walk Through a Sculptors Garden F.E. McWilliam Gallery N. Ireland Group Exhibition
2005 Colour Omma Contemporary Art Crete/Greece Group Exhibition
2004 Playtime Belfast Waterfront Hall N. Ireland Group Exhibition
2003 RDS Awards West Cork Arts Centre Ireland Group Exhibition
2003 RDS Awards Irish Linen Museum Lisburn N. Ireland Group Exhibition
Date Awards Location
2018 New Glass Review 39 The Corning Museum of Glass USA
2017 Celeste Prize 2017 Finalist London 9th edition
2015 Membership of the RBSS Royal Society of Sculptors
2015 WAC Awards Short Listed Wells Somerset England
2015 ACEs Award Northern Ireland Arts Council
2014 American Art Awards 3rd Place Sculpture Abstract Award 2014
2014 Golden Thread Gallery Career Enchantment Programme Belfast
2009 ACNI Travel Award USA Neon Skills Development
2004 General Art Awards Scheme Northern Ireland Arts Council
2003 General Art Awards Scheme Northern Ir eland Arts Council
2003 RDS Dublin metal work Ireland
Date Selected Art Commissions
2018 Artificial Sunlight Argory National Trust
2018 Epoch Dallas Texas the USA
2017 Student Ratoath College Meath
2017 Murmuration St. Peter’s College, Dunboyne
2017 Matrix Colaiste De Lacy
2016 A1 to FE McWilliam Gallery FE McWilliam Gallery
2016 Sphere Queens University & Belfast City Hospital
2015 Irish Yew Tree Killesher Community Association
2015 Rights Respecting Dundonald School cluster
2015 Pomeroy Lady Cookstown District Council
2014 Hawthorn Boundaries Cookstown District Council
2013 Hearts Newtownabbey Borough Council
2013 Salmon & Wild Flowers Magherafelt District Council
2012 The Titanic Belfast City Council
2012 Jubilee Tree Whitehead
2012 Herbal Panel Hospital LED
2011 Talking Tree Newtownabbey Borough Council
2010 The Face Belfast Peace Wall sculpture
Date Selected Publications
2018 New Glass Review 39 - The Corning Museum of Glass USA
2018 UTV Life TV - May
2017 Sculpture Magazine USA http://www.sculptureonline.org/sculpture September Issue
2017 https://frieze.com/article/buffer-zone
2017 https://www.sectorlight.com/blog/sculpture-in-the-city-2017-spotlight-on-kevin-killen
2017 https://intersectinginterests.wordpress.com/2017/08/08/still-its-time-based/
2017 https://www.culturewhisper.com/r/visual_arts/sculpture_in_the_city_london_sculpture_festival/4847
2017 https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/cf7a10_7868f56ac7dd4db1ac84328df4159073.pdf
2017 https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visit-the-city/art-architecture/sculpture-in-the-city/Pages/ about-the-artworks.aspx
2016 Art Reveal Magazine - https://issuu.com/artrevealmagazine/docs/no_23/46
SBN number:9781366565723
2016 Art By Nature - https://issuu.com/artbynaturemag/docs/number_5_artbijnaturemag (pages 54 to 59)
2016 NY Arts Magazine http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/?p=24581
2016 Re: Sculpt In the Studio with Kevin Killen Jan 2016 by Dorothy Hunter
http://blog.sculpture.org/2016/01/13/kevin-killen/
2015 Visual Artist Ireland New Sheet “How’s it Made‘ Issue 3 May - June 2015
http://visualartists.ie/articles/van-mayjune-2015-capturing-passing-moments-by-kevin-killen/
2015 Northern Vision TV Belfast Collapse the Box: A conversation with Kevin Killen