Morphologies

Satchel Projects is delighted to present Morphologies, an exhibition of recent works by LA / Joshua Tree–based artist Kelly Witmer. Using an intuitive, process-based approach, Kelly Witmer explores material meaning and psychological form through the interplay of clay, glass, fur, and synthetic hair. The works in Morphologies feel both ancient and otherworldly — part relic, part dream fragment. Evocative of bodily forms and biological processes, these sculptures inhabit a space where function is mysterious and desire is tactile. Through slumped forms, oozing textures, and surprising material juxtapositions, Witmer coaxes a sense of personality — almost a “being” — out of elemental matter, blurring the line between object and entity. These are not passive sculptures; they seem to breathe, to want, to protect or repel, often taking on the sense of masks or shields — protective yet vulnerable, defensive yet strangely intimate. While Witmer’s work can be seen in relation to Surrealism — particularly the biomorphic abstraction of Hans Arp and the material subversions of Meret Oppenheim — her practice also draws deeply from a lineage of women artists who have investigated the body, psychology, and craft. Echoes of Kiki Smith’s corporeal storytelling, Louise Bourgeois’s emotional architectures, Lee Bontecou’s sci-fi femininity, Eva Hesse’s material vulnerability, and Christina Ramberg’s restrained yet fetishized forms all reverberate in Morphologies. Like these artists, Witmer challenges the viewer to confront ambiguity, embodiment, and the subconscious through form and texture. Central to Witmer’s process is a collaboration with gravity itself. By slumping glass and ceramic forms in the kiln, she allows weight and heat to distort the materials, giving the work a softened, almost bodily sag. These drooping, organic curves hint at vulnerability, transformation, and decay — making each piece feel animated by internal forces. The surfaces further express this tension: some are mottled or pitted, suggesting skin, stone, or internal tissue, while others gleam with a glossy, slick finish. The tactility of these surfaces — whether rough and porous or smooth and reflective — heightens the viewer’s sensory engagement, inviting touch while also provoking discomfort. The recurring use of hair and fur — materials loaded with associations of gender, mythology, status, and beauty — deepens this tension. Hair spilling from ceramic orifices oscillates between allure and the grotesque, its detached state evoking reliquaries or cherished mementos. The fur, salvaged from vintage coats, adds a haunting poignancy while recalling ritual masks that embody animal spirits. These materials complicate notions of adornment and decay, imbuing the sculptures with an eerie tenderness. Kelly Witmer currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, CA. She has had a solo show at the Museum of the Southwest in Midland, Texas and a two person show at Oceanside Museum of Art West Gallery. Her work has appeared in numerous group exhibitions, and her public art installations can be found in Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, and San Diego, CA. She received a BFA from University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA.

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