May 2014
Artist’s Statement
These images are a selection from an ongoing body of work, The Overgrown South. Perhaps more than any other region of the U.S., the South attempts to preserve our culture. But to define the South is often to recall a forgone time by way of appearance rather than the values of a collective heritage. As we progress, the South defined becomes overgrown, often consciously so, by nothing more than a nod to the past.
I am from the South, specifically the state of Mississippi. Born 1979.
I believe in community. I went to college because that is what you are supposed to do. I studied Communications because I wanted to be a radio DJ but learned radio is not about the music. I had a horrible time in my life during which I worked at the Tax Collector’s office. After reading the novel Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry, I had a short career as a barber.
In 2008 my wife and I moved to California in order that I could pursue photography. We have gained perspective and are returning home this year to be closer to family and the place we grew up.
I believe our salvation is in community and that we are all supposed to live with one another, not alone.
http://www.shaunkellyphoto.com/
