Kyle Montgomery (b.1987) is an artist based in regional New South Wales, Australia. His artistic journey began with the medium of collage, where he meticulously crafted two-dimensional works on paper featuring the Virgin Mary as his motif. Through the process of recontextualisation, Montgomery transformed these collages into transcendental cosmic scenes, exploring his personal desires of faith and contemplations of the unknown forces that shape our destiny.
As his practice evolved, Montgomery delved into the realm of sculpture, bringing his collages to life in three-dimensional monoliths. This led to the creation of his renowned series known as the 'Crystal Mary'. To create these sculptures, Montgomery sourced liturgical statues of the Virgin Mary from both local and international sources. He then hollowed out selected portions of the statues and infused them with quartz crystals. The resulting figures possess a unique amalgamation of distressed qualities, colours, and compositions, blending Montgomery's quartz insertion, remodelling, and painting techniques to produce truly one-of-a-kind statuettes.
Montgomery's sculptures embody a dichotomy of faiths. The figure of Mother Mary, a revered religious symbol across various belief systems, represents maternity, protection, purity, and birth. On the other hand, the quartz crystals embedded within the statues hint at broader concepts of intrinsic energies and their resonance within natural forms. For Montgomery, these sculptures serve as gateways to knowledge, prompting contemplation on the ways in which cosmic energy manifests itself and the vessels through which it takes shape.
In summary, Kyle Montgomery's artistic practice has traversed the realms of collage and sculpture, culminating in the creation of the captivating 'Crystal Mary' series. Through his work, Montgomery explores the intertwining of faith, cosmic energy, and the transformative power of artistic expression. Through meticulous craftsmanship and recontextualisation, Montgomery elevates his art to transcendental cosmic scenes, inviting viewers to contemplate the unknown forces that shape our destinies.