Jeff Kellar and Emi Ozawa

Serious Play
January 7 – February 19

Art exhibition showcasing modern sculptures and paintings on white pedestals and walls in a well-lit gallery space.
Art gallery interior with a modern white pedestal displaying black spherical objects and a minimalist painting on the wall, in a room with daylight coming through a window.
A minimalist sculpture featuring a horizontal rod balanced on a central fulcrum; one end holds a yellow sphere, and the other a blue sphere, with a red disc near the center, displayed on a black pedestal.
Art gallery interior displaying abstract artworks: minimalist sculpture on a pedestal and two geometric paintings on white walls in a well-lit room.
A minimalist art gallery with a white-framed abstract painting of geometric shapes on a wall. Nearby, a dark pedestal holds a yellow geometric sculpture.
A minimalist sculpture featuring a bright yellow stair-step shape with two large white circular wheels, displayed against a white wall on a black platform.
Wall-mounted clock designed to resemble a target, with concentric black and white circles and a red center. The clock hands are minimalistic and thin, complementing the overall modern design.
A modern sculpture featuring a black square with two red circular shapes at each end of horizontal rods, mounted on a white pedestal in a gallery setting.
A minimalist art gallery display with a single abstract blue painting featuring white lines, hung on a plain white wall, illuminated by ceiling lights.
A modern art gallery with assorted sculptures and abstract paintings displayed on pedestals and walls, featuring a minimalist white and grey interior.
An art gallery interior with a white pedestal on the left holding a small spherical sculpture, and a green painting with three white diamond shapes on the right wall.
An art gallery with a minimalist display: three abstract sculptures featuring geometric shapes and bold colors on a white pedestal, and a large textured painting on the far wall.

Press Release

Richard Levy Gallery is pleased to present Serious Play, a two-person exhibition by Jeff Kellar and local Albuquerque favorite Emi Ozawa. Organic colors and lusciously sanded surfaces come to life through painting and sculpture within this show.  Kellar and Ozawa create artworks that are engaging, elegant, and play with viewer’s perspective. 

Jeff Kellar uses incised hard edge lines to create illusionary architectural compositions that appear to warp off the walls, toying with viewers perception.  With a nod to Malevich, these paintings are minimal without severity and are softened by the presence of the artist’s hand within the work. His handsomely crafted surfaces comprises of many layers of burnished clay pigment and resin.  At first glance, Kellar’s paintings may appear straightforward, but these sensuous paintings have a very material presence.

Emi Ozawa makes kinetic artworks that evoke curiosity and whimsy.  Trained as a woodworker, Ozawa engineers birch and maple sculptures that move via cranks, levers, contact, and gravity.  Like Kellar, Ozawa shares a keen interest on surface and her boxes gleam with a burnished finish that obscures any evidence of their media.  Ozawa dismisses basic “do not touch” gallery visitor principals and extends an invitation to touch via the draw of surface inquiry and by curiosity of function.  These elegant interactive objects are clearly intended to be played with.

Jeff Kellar studied at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives and works in Maine. Emi Ozawa was born in Tokyo and went to school for fine art in Japan and later at the Rhode Island School of Design. She currently resides in Albuquerque.


High-resolution images are available on request. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @levygallery 

Dates: January 7–February 19, 2011
Reception: February 19, 6–8 pm
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 am–4 pm
Location: 514 Central Avenue SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Contact: 505.766.9888, info@levygallery.com, www.levygallery.com @levygallery

Artwork and Information
Jeff Kellar

Emi Ozawa