Michael Kelly Williams (b. Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 1950) draws on influences from world cultures and ancient times, folk art, and African art, to create his sculptures inspired by Surrealism, Afro-futurism and Funk aesthetics.
He often employs found objects in his work, and has said, “I use materials that are loaded with power or symbolic properties. I have found remnants of musical instruments, which to me still resonate with sound and music. I use materials that are charged with their prior usage and practice.” Although born in France, Williams attended school in Detroit, Michigan before eventually moving to New York City, where he furthered his artistic pursuits. Works like Wodakota and Samta become crosses between wall sculpture and heretofore unknown musical instruments. Wodakota combines such seemingly disparate items as the body of a violin, a garden rake, and shells to create a cohesive aesthetic experience, while Samta employs the ephemeral incorporation of a watermelon, which implies, variously, fruitfulness, life-force, and African American stereotypes. Williams says, “When creating my sculptures, I find discarded objects then reassemble them in meaningful ways. I look for materials that call to me. I may be attracted to the pure form, but usually it is the energy radiating from the object in an animistic way.”