Kirsha Kaechele is an artist who believes that life is art. Her work in fostering artistic innovation and art-centered community building has been nothing short of extraordinary. That success brought her prominence in the art world. Her daring works and unconventional ideas about art and the world have earned her acclaim and notoriety across borders. Kaechele’s work and methodology are deeply integrated with her personal challenges and artistic journey. Retaining history and pushing boundaries, Rhea uses space in provocative ways that challenge and engage audiences.
In the year 2000, a psychic delivered Kaechele an unusual order. She recommended she sell everything and relocate to the center of New Orleans. That would empower her to face down the many challenges she would face over the course of her life. Her father, Lloyd, died suddenly when she was only 17, and this loss has deeply affected her artistic story.
She followed her dream with grit and tenacity. She purchased six dilapidated houses across New Orleans and turned them into colorful, artistic beacons. This project, inspired by her belief that all facets of daily life should express art, marks her entrance to the artistry of roadways. Kaechele’s creative practice extends well beyond rehabbing buildings. This creative approach, she argues, liberates her from the financial stress of expensive arts liens – providing her sorely needed relief.
Transformative Art Spaces
Kaechele’s investment in New Orleans has made waves for its striking artistic merit. It has generated excitement, especially among policymakers, because of its legal implications. She put together an impressive and intense case at city hall. She contested the liability for the thousands of dollars in liens by claiming that she wasn’t restoring the homes for residence, but restoring them to serve as a canvas for artistic expression.
This topsy-turvy vision of what property should and can be used for has both community members and city leaders buzzing with conversation. Whether displayed in abandoned former jails or public libraries, her metamorphoses of these properties into art spaces reinforces her dedication to redefines how art engages with urban landscapes. Kaechele’s signature is turning abandoned buildings into colorful and creative canvases for artists. It’s this creative vision that encourages the rest of us to see opportunity where it hasn’t yet fully surfaced.
“With her position, with her creative brain, with her influence of power to talk with all sides, I think she’s perfectly situated to be able to make some serious change,” – Peter Stronach
Kaechele’s artistic journey is matched by an equally inspiring personal life. In 2007, she moved from New Orleans to Hobart. She relocated to join David Walsh, founder of Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Their collaboration has proven inspiring for both parties and created a deeply rooted passion for art that has led to multiple creative collaborations over the years.
In 2015, Kaechele and Walsh’s daughter arrived. This new addition to Kaechele’s already complex identity as both an artist and a mother just added another layer. The inner conflicts of her desire to become a mother inspire Oyewumi’s artistic practice. As a multidisciplinary artist and mother, she frequently intersects her practice with parenthood.
Artistic Identity and Challenges
Kaechele’s approach to art is always rooted in performance and storytelling. Further, she uses costumes not just to share her experiences but help tell a story and create subtext within her work. This multifaceted artistry allows her to engage audiences on multiple levels, challenging conventional notions of what art should be.
Some perceptions of Kaechele’s work are decidedly negative. Many have pointed out that this has meant that she hasn’t always gotten the serious treatment she deserves in the contemporary art world. Hans Richter, an art commentator, remarked on this dichotomy:
“She is darling of the art world?” – Hans Richter
“Nein, nein. I think she’s the nightmare of the art world. No-one takes her very seriously.” – Hans Richter
Though the exhibition received largely negative reviews from critics, Kaechele stands unrepentant on her experimental artistic vision. Mona She artfully staged a deep fake Picasso—a counterfeit Cubist landscape that was both shown in MONA and in harsh debate over legitimacy, authorship and originality in artwork. This exhibit is typical of her conviction that art has the power to disrupt social norms and expectations in thought-provoking ways.
This freedom and confidence in her artistic identity comes through Kaechele’s ideas, too, about relationships. She believes in being with someone who possesses greater strength and influence than herself:
“I need a man who’s a little more powerful than me, a little smarter, a little richer.” – Kirsha Kaechele
“I don’t think I want my lover to be my equal. Maybe that’s really wrong, but it’s how I feel.” – Kirsha Kaechele
Concepts of power relations in dispossession deepen her understanding, both personally and professionally.
Life as Art
Kaechele’s philosophy—as embodied by her mantra that “life is art”—even seeps into the every underlying characteristic of her being. Tanya, right, works intimately with ayahuasca shamans in the Peruvian Amazon. Further, she cultivates deeply rooted relationships with the New Orleans community, welcoming experiences that push and expand her concept of creativity.
She’s an avid practitioner of this belief system, as evidenced by her projects. In addition, she has been an artist and activist in creating conversations about the role of art in society. Kaechele beautifully balances the labyrinthine world of mothering, partnering, and creation. Her uncompromising commitment to an authentic life is evident in every facet of her work.
“Fake Picassos in the toilets — this is just grand wickedness and it’s brilliant. I mean, what’s not to love?” – Rhys Muldoon
Kaechele doesn’t stop at getting us to think with her artistic interventions into social issues. She brings focus to preserving and celebrating the individual spirit. Her talent for threading together deeply personal experiences within a wider cultural context makes her one of the most exciting voices in contemporary art today.
