Collages make order of chaos; everything makes sense when the collage is done but nothing is clear while I am creating it.
With a Times Square video billboard in 2020 highlighting racial injustice to a playful showcase on the beauty standard at SCOPE Art Show in Miami, artist Kelly Dabbah's work explores and juxtaposes themes from serious to satirical. Born in Geneva and educated at Parsons, the New York-based creative interweaves elements from her background in the fashion industry, Middle Eastern heritage, female muses, and passion for kitsch to create thought-provoking and visually dramatic masterpieces, from collages to home décor. She has been featured in solo exhibits and worked on collaborations from LA to London, with upcoming showcases in California and New York this year. Here, Dabbah shares her sources of inspiration, favorite projects so far, and what's next for her.
Barnebys: Your work straddles the genres of art, fashion, and design - how did you get started in these fields and who are your inspirations?
Kelly Dabbah: After university in Switzerland, I moved to NYC to work for Chanel. Intrigued by the world of fashion, I decided to study it more deeply at Parsons School of Design. There I used Photoshop and Indesign to incorporate fine art into the digital world through collages and prints. I printed my art on textiles to create maximalist immersive experiences; everything would match from the pillows, skateboards, and mugs, to the wallpaper. People came to play in the spaces I created.
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In my collages, I can fit previous work, pop-cultural influences past and present, and symbols from street culture - hip hop music, and pattern and decoration from Middle Eastern architecture and design, reflecting my roots. Everything beautiful that I encounter in my quotidian life serves as my inspiration. Ultimately, I create work that will spread joy. During this time, I also worked with Anna Sui, who I painted pants and jeans-wear for in addition to working on styling for fashion shows. On the side, I sold my handpainted leather jackets. People loved them. I learned a lot from Anna and somewhere along the way I realized that I did not have to choose between art and fashion. I was always drawing as a child and I knew that I was an artist, but as an adult it took me time and courage to refind this identity.
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At the core of fashion lies the body. The body is my greatest inspiration: the curve of a waist, a sparkle in someone's eye, and the shape and color of a lip. As a thinker and creator, I am quite erratic and I love editing which is why I work with collage. I started creating collages at a very young age. They were very raw with pictures of my three sisters and cut-outs from home decor and fashion magazines accentuated by marks I made with big markers. I was a shy kid and would often lose myself in drawing, flipping through magazines, or raiding my mother’s closet to create looks ranging from wild to mismatched, chic, to angry. I see now that I was doggedly exploring self-expression. Collages make order of chaos; everything makes sense when the collage is done but nothing is clear while I am creating it.
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Your Scope Miami exhibit featured 4 mirrors, which were a common element in many artworks during Miami Art Week. Why are mirrors so important right now?
KD: Who doesn’t want to see themselves reflected in a work of art and take the perfect selfie? We live in the era of self-obsession. Beauty standards can only be achieved through the use of augmentation, filters or retouching in the digital world and cosmetic treatments ranging from make-up to Botox, to plastic surgery, in the real world. These elements are visible in the collages. I created collages on mirrors to illustrate these frenetic and impossible standards set for women.
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Flowers are nearly always incorporated in my work, they remind me of women - when they are wilted they are no longer attractive. But, despite the works being a critique, they remain positive. I created them after a wonderful sejour in LA and I like to think I have brought some soul to the stereotype of the maximalist and superficial LA lifestyle. I love to make things clash and wanted the mirror and its reflection of the viewer to make them happy, to heal them, and to foster acceptance.
You've collaborated with fashion designers, musicians, and artists across the country. What are some of your favorite works or projects so far?
KD: I work on many projects at once, and all of them are different. I created a collage the size of a door for sound engineer Derek Ali. Aka “Mixed by Ali’’’s music studio in Los Angeles. In collaboration with Miami-based musician Manu Manu, I designed a bucket hat that dropped on NTWRK mobile app last summer. Commissioned by the musician Thundercat, I created a jacket inspired by Japanese anime Naruto. It was an excellent and abstract project as I reinterpreted the classic Naruto suit into an oversized trench coat. I created a mirror for Anderson Paak with elements of his life. I collaborated with two surfers who had a gallery in the Hamptons and we designed two unique surfboard pieces. I just created a custom wallpaper for the opening of a new restaurant in LES called ‘’Bocaphe’’. The idea of having my work in New York in the long term is exciting.
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My next collaboration is with the LA clothing brand ’’Siamcircle’’ which creates clothes by recycling garments. I am reusing prints that I have exhibited before in immersive exhibitions to give them a second life, another purpose.
From fashion to design, your work encompasses different mediums. Is there any artistic medium you haven't explored yet, but want to?
KD: I would love to continue to see my art develop on a larger scale. One of my works on racial injustice was showcased on a billboard in Times Square during the pandemic. I loved the adrenaline rush of seeing my moving art in the streets. I’d like to continue working in unexpected places with broad visibility. And, using my prints and collages on sculptures is also on my mind.
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What is next for you and what projects are you currently working on?
KD: I just received a shipment of socks and bathing suit samples in my prints and loved the results. I am actively looking for brands to collaborate with and I am already in touch with a few. Next work on view are a series of NFT’s that will be showcased at events and exhibitions round the world in the next year. Starting with one at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, Egypt, supported by the founders of Saphira & Ventura Gallery. I met them in Miami at my exhibition. My work is digitally anchored so shifting into the NFT space feels native. The other NFT shows will be held at Castello Brown Castle in Portofino and at the MACO Museum in Veroli in Italy, the Museum Județean Buzău in România, and finally at the Saphira & Ventura Gallery in NYC.
