October 11 — November 22, 2025
Plunge Pools
Kelly O'Connor
Intertwining nostalgia and fantasy through idealized mid-century imagery juxtaposed with radiant, candy-colored collage elements, Kelly O’Connor’s Plunge Pools dives into the leisurely world of the rich and fabulous—but what’s hiding beneath this seemingly flawless surface?
In her series of pool works, the artist mostly appropriates the effortlessly chic works of 20th century lifestyle photographer Slim Aarons. Known for his postwar photographs of the elite class at rest, from American socialites to European aristocrats, Aarons simply declared: “I photograph attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.” O’Connor, on the other hand, takes a different stance, emphasizing how these images “often focuses on the whitewashed elite living their “best lives.” I often think about what was actually happening behind the scenes in stories such as Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. Much like Aarons’ documentation, everyone looks fabulous, but in actuality it was a pretty terrible time for women, and/or anyone identifying as LGBTQ+ and people of color.”
On digitally printed photographs, O’Connor hand-cuts and assembles brilliant starbursts and vibrant, mosaic-like hexagonal shapes in place of actual water, utilizing materials such as acrylic, cardstock, and glitter to immaculately create a complete facade of fantasy. The artist says the “swirling, kaleidoscopic patterns act as a metaphor for the disillusionment of these environments.” Like most of her work, Plunge Pools explores the concept of American Idealism—prevalent during the mid-century—colorfully exposing the realities behind such alluringly fabricated environments.
Kelly O’Connor lives and works in San Antonio, Texas. For nearly two decades, she has confronted the utopian ideals of Western folklore and pop culture through an imaginative approach to collage and site-specific installation.
O'Connor earned a BFA from the Visual Arts School at the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on site-specific installation, sculpture, and photography (2005) and later received an MBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio (2020). Prominent collections that hold her work include the McNay Art Museum and the Ford Foundation. She has also exhibited at several institutions, such as the Ballroom Marfa, McNay Art Museum, and San Antonio Museum of Art.