An Art Daily Exclusive: Kat Alyst shares a preview of a larger body of work in the making. How this artist shares “the blues” with audiences.


“Smoke and Mirrors (Pt. II)” COURTESY OF THE ARTIST. © KAT ALYST

Pronounced: /ˈkad(ə)ləst/, she is an artist on the rise, and rapidly breaking through to the art world since late last year. Sharing blatant vulnerabilities through her art, she plans to pave the way as an open book, and continue on the journey of helping others as she grows too.

She is best known for her dynamic pops of saturation overlaying apathetic messages. “I’m a true, quirky Aquarius (with a lot of Earth in my birth chart, but that’s another story), so I never think there’s too much to add to a photo,” she says. She incorporates the use of kitsch-art; juxtaposed with contemporary gestures, in which infuses with her own experiences and struggles from growing up in disjointed environments from early years in rural east Texas.

“I think when you’re born a Creative, you can’t escape it,” she shares, “you just feel it from a young age.” Her upcoming work will display partial hints of how not fitting in molded her female experience into what it became and is today.

“I’m always growing out of the person I once was. I wanted so badly to be accepted on many levels—as an artist, a girl—everything— to an overall human being, but that just doesn’t work.” She discusses ‘girl-hood’, being a loner most of her adolescents, surviving outside influences, and her own mental struggles and mistakes to try and fit in.

“This work is my most honest confession to the biggest events that have shaped my life. I am so nervous to share, because a lot of even my closest friends don’t know about some events. It’s important to me though, because I think we all have vulnerable stories and situations we have survived and experienced that really impacted who we are now. We learn to live with traumatic events, and don’t realize how they embed into our subconscious and soul that shapes what we are doing today. If there’s one way to support one another, by sharing everything ‘scary’ is it. I want to leave a legacy of love for humankind, and give my best efforts in every way. We are not perfect, and we are not alone. I feel the only way I can aid in that, is by sharing some of the oddest things that used to hold me back... but not anymore.”

The exclusive image featured above, shows a self-portrait of Alyst holding a balloon dog replica sculpture in reference to sculptor, Jeff Koons’ iconic work, “Balloon Dogs” as part of his “Celebration” series from 1993. The facial expression sets the tone for distress and defeat as the viewer seemingly looks down at her as the subject. Peeking into frame, white columns with fragments of an ode to Botticelli’s, “The Birth of Venus” painting, is slightly noticed as another replica sculpture. A bright blue gown melts into the reflective environment around the subject, leaving the viewer to conclude a feeling of sadness.

In the artist’s words she says: “This concept is a personal one, but I feel no matter who is who, they may relate. I applied makeup that contributed to my humor I often use as a deflection, and I joke that I often feel like a “sad clown” and in my early years, felt like an imposter during my first years in art school. I intentionally reference Koons and Botticelli as a comparison in this photo to keep a classic rendition of what Art History discusses between the two artists. One, from the 1400’s, and one from the 1980’s, but both made history in different ways. The blue dress is simply to use the emotion that blue brings with calmness to look at, but an ode to what it means to “sing the blues”, as it was designed to seemingly melt into a puddle of sighs. I used a soft filter over my lens to create a slight haze effect, to compliment the literal title, “Smoke and Mirrors (Pt. II)”. Conceptually, I created a visual of the popular phrase, fake it until you make it, and my understanding of being perceived as someone to others, that I wasn’t to myself. I think no matter your field, you may live with a secret feeling of what am I doing here, with internal struggles that may blind the realization of you’re just fine as who you are.

We love what Alyst is doing this year, and are excited to keep watching her shoot for the stars in the art world. You can find Kat Alyst on social medias when you search @katinthecloudz, or see more of her recent works on her website here.