CT State Northwestern Gallery Presents Artist kHyal; Signs of the Times
Winsted, CT – CT State Northwestern’s Gallery at Founders Hall will present eco-artist kHyal; “Signs of the Times” August 31 through September 30. An artist reception is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, 3 to 5 p.m. Both the gallery and reception are free and open to the public.
As a self-taught environmental activist and artist, kHyal has been working with recycled materials since the early 1980s. Her mixed-media sculptures are crafted from reclaimed plastics saved from oceans and landfills. Each piece is her call to action to put the brakes on fossil fuel-based materials and reconsider our obsession with consumerism.
kHyal states in her artist statement that the history of her work evolves with time “…shaped primarily by childhood experiences in the physical world, mapped by psychological mysteries…” Those childhood experiences include summering in the Thimble Islands in Stony Creek, CT where she spent: “Endless hours of observing the sun glinting refractions across the skin of the water, sea glass, bits of mica, barnacle-adorned shell fragments, miniature fish babies, tiny crabs, anemones, sea stars, tangled seaweed shaped in Jell-O molds, like chunky Lucite souvenir paper weights, dense collages of constant change metered by my own internal complexities and shifts of mood,” she says. “A sense of wonder, magnetized toward found objects and how relationships form in color, juxtaposition, emotion. A private world where I am continuously lost with a public concern about what we create and discard into our natural environment.”
Her recent projects include "The Sound of Plastic," addressing ocean pollution and horseshoe crab protection along Long Island Sound; the world's only "Plastic Horse Rescue," where she rehomes abandoned plastic horses, ponies, and unicorns; and "Toy Ocean: Out to See," exploring the intersection of our relationship with material objects and the waste stream.
kHyal has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally. As a former chief creative officer in experiential design, she has worked on projects for the Whitney Museum of American Art, Lincoln Center, BRIC Arts Media, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the New York Public Library. A Certified Climate Reality leader, Beyond Plastics advocate, Women and Climate speaker, founder of SoundlyCaring.com, and alumna of the NYC Department of Sanitation Trash Academy, kHyal has also worked as a citizen scientist in Connecticut's coastal areas, educating the public on horseshoe crab conservation and plastic pollution. She continues to work with cutting-edge technology, though just as readily builds analog sculptures or writes poems with a pencil on vintage paper. She is also a journalist reporting on art, culture, environmental issues, climate technology, and fashion sustainability, and a consultant producing thought leadership content for cybersecurity and enterprise technology companies.
CT State Northwestern is committed to fostering a vibrant arts community by providing a space for artists to showcase their work and engage with the public. The Gallery, located on the first floor of Founders Hall, 4 Park Place, is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and hosts a rotating schedule of exhibitions featuring contemporary artists working in a variety of media. For information about the show or gallery contact .
