Delaware Artist Profile: Kevin Bielicki

The first thing you notice when you enter Kevin Bielicki's Shipley Lofts studio-slash-apartment in downtown Wilmington is the upside-down bonsai. Of course, it's not just an inverted tiny tree, it's a sculpture called "Liminality," part of a series of works using natural bonsai trees juxtaposed with other media such as steel. Just as the piece incorporates the natural beauty of the tree and industrial steel and screws, the series incorporates his art with his horticultural work with The Kennett Collection Bonsai Garden, and will be featured in an exhibition at the Brick Lane Gallery in London this November.

"Liminality" by Kevin Bielicki

Bielicki, a DCAD graduate with a BFA from the University of Delaware, moved into Shipley Lofts three years ago, during his final year at UD. Chances are, if you live in New Castle County, you've seen his work, in the Delaware Art Museum's Centennial Exhibit or on display at the English Language Institute in Newark (you can't miss it -- it's a 19-foot tall bright red piece from his Coral Reef series; a "mini" version that stands about six feet high is on display in his living room).

Another series -- the one that DAM featured -- is the three-dimensional "Rings" series that transforms tree rings into swirled visual illusions that play with light and shadow.

"Rings" by Kevin Bielicki

If you're sensing a recurring nature theme, it will come as no surprise that Bielicki's next Delaware show, opening Friday, August 2, will be at The Delaware Center for Horticulture in Trolley Square. The show, "Connections and Investigations," also features Jeffrey Long, and will explore the connection between the beauty of the natural world and modern humanity.

"Rings" by Kevin Bielicki

Meet the artists and experience "Connections and Investigations" from 5:30 - 8:00 pm at the DHC on Friday, August 2, as part of Wilmington's Art on the Town.

The Delaware Center for Horticulture
1810 North Dupont Street 
Wilmington, DE 19806-3308 
658-6262