Sinister Manus - Kelly Hall

Visual artist and designer based in Boston, Massachusetts, whose work spans mixed media, narrative art, and interdisciplinary creation.

If I had to point to the beginning of my artist origin story, it would be sitting at a desk in an almost empty classroom, in 1999, in a small school in West Africa. That was the first moment I clearly recall looking at a drawing in a book and being consumed by the question, “could I make that too?” 

This inquiry has inspired a lifelong practice, that has shaped me as a storyteller, visual artist and designer.

I am inspired by lyrics, literary fragments and the imagined narratives these tell. I am driven by lived experiences, the weight of which we all carry. I draw strength from natural landscapes and the built environment. Using ink, graphite, paper and chipboard as mediums, I speak of memory, of gratitude and community, of pattern and texture, and of discovery. 

I tell stories to make sense of what often feels ineffable. I do this to honor my community. I do this to learn from artists I admire, to steal from them, to pay homage to them. I do this to sharpen my craft and give voice to narratives of wonder.