Mo Kessler

Lives and works in Baltimore, MD, USA

Artist statement

Mo Kessler is a queer multimedia object maker, installation artist, and community organizer from Kentucky. Using the contradictions inherent in the concept of “cheap”, Mo makes works to investigate how worth is generated under neo-liberal capitalism. The work relies on repetitive labor and materials that both spark recognition and are accessible. Fascinated by the defiance of “tacky” and the amount of sincerity it can hold, Mo's work reflects the resilience embedded in the craft that is born of necessity. Under the politics of extraction and disposability, marking value through attention, care, and abundance is a small rebellion. Mo’s work has been shown throughout central Appalachia and the South. They received their BFA in Sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2007 and their MFA in Studio Art from Western Carolina University in 2021. They currently are the 2023 Southern Studies Fellow in Arts and Letters. Mo was a co-founder of the LIVLAB Artist Collective at Western Carolina University and the founder of Shelter In Place (SiP), an online artist residency program for artists engaged in community organizing and activism during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a community organizer, Mo has worked on campaigns against racial injustice, food insecurity, foreclosures, police brutality, and Mountain-Top Removal.

Artwork