In Real Life

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Item details

In Real Life, 2015. Mixed media collage digitally printed on vinyl and measures 16 ft tall X 36 ft wide. Taking up nearly an entire wall, San Antonio native Kelly O’Connor’s billboard-sized vinyl print In Real Life brings an undeniable “wow” factor to an otherwise nondescript hallway. Buzzing with playful energy and riddled with nostalgic (and often humorous) imagery clipped from vintage periodicals, the piece invites viewers to get lost in sun-bleached vignettes that place Dumbo, Peter Pan, Joan Crawford, Willy Wonka, Shirley Temple, Dean Martin and Disneyland’s Cinderella Castle in the otherworldly landscape of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park — surrounded by some of O’Connors signature hallmarks: prismatic starbursts, glittering, honeycomb-like patterns and dripping stalactites.

Context & Credits

Meet the Creator

Kelly O’Connor is a contemporary artist who works in collage and installation-based works. She has been included in the Texas Biennial and New American Painting. Her work is part of the McNay Art Museum and City of San Antonio’s permanent collections, which is currently on view. Kelly has been a long-time steward of the Linda Pace Foundation. She began her career with the Foundation as artist and philanthropist, Linda Pace’s Studio Manager, and now oversees programming and communications for the Foundation’s new identity, Ruby City, a contemporary art center designed by Sir David Adjaye.