YOU AND me and ego

THE FIREHOUSE PAINTINGS

steven dayvid mckellar

Curated by victoria chapman and stevie kincheloe

OPENING JANUARY 25TH

el nido

12-4PM

1028 N WESTERN AVE

MELROSE HILL

ARTIST STATEMENT

IT’S 4AM 
WINTER IS ON IT’S WAY 
AND IT’S DARK AND COLD OUTSIDE 
THE COMINGS OF A BACTERIA RAIN IN THE DISTANCE 
FROM THE UPSTAIRS OF THE FH, 
I CAN SEE OVER THE SMALL HOUSES 
THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS DEAD QUIET
AND WILL REMAIN SO MOST OF THE DAY 
NOT A LOT OF LIFE IN THESE STREETS
AN AREA OF A SMALL KENTUCKY RIVER TOWN WHERE DRUGS ARE RAMPANT 
AND CHILDREN (IF SEEN OR HEARD)
SPEAK WITH FOUL LANGUAGE 
AND INHERITED DISTRUST 

I FEEL LIKE A MAIDEN IN A TOWER 
TRANSMITTING SOME LONELY FREQUENCY 
BEEP BEEP BEEP 
SILENTLY 
IT IS VERY QUIET HERE 
AND THE STAIRS LEADING DOWN TO THE BOTTOM FLOOR 
CREATE A MOANING SONG ARRANGEMENT 
AS I DESCEND 
BUT AT THE BOTTOM LIES ALL THIS PAINT 
AND CANVAS 
AND POWER TOOLS 
AND OLD BICYCLES PARTS 
AND PILED SCAFFOLDING 
AND TALL PLANKS OF WOOD LEANED AGAINST THE RED BRICK WALLS
TARPS 
AND WOOD SHIPS ON THE CONCRETE FLOOR 
ALONG WITH DIRT 
AND HAY 
AND SEEING ALL THIS 
MY HEART IS SINGED WITH EXCITEMENT 
AND I PUT MY HEADPHONES IN
I’M BARELY AWAKE 
BUT I FEEL LIKE I’M THE ONLY PERSON ALIVE
AND THREE HOURS COULD BE THREE SECONDS 
AND ALL OF THIS COULD BURN 
AND BE WHITTLED DOWN TO 
A SMALL PILE OF ASH 
AND IN IMAGINING THIS 
I COULD THINK OF NO GREATER MANIFESTATION 

BITCHES BREW 
IN A SILENT WAY 
ON THE STREETS 
THE SOUND OF IT 
WITHIN A SOFT-DREAM MIND 
IS AN AVALANCHE IN THE HEAD 
CIRCULAR 
PERPETUAL 
RELENTLESS 
LIKE PUSHING THROUGH A VIOLENT WIND
NO DESTINATION
IN THE THICK OF IT 
WHERE NATURE PUTS ME 
UNMERCIFUL TOWARD CIRCUMSTANCE 
AND EMOTION 
UNCEASING 
TO OUR RULES OF COMFORT AND CONDUCT 
AND MILES RAGES 
AND I TUMBLE AND RAGE WITH HIM 
ALONG WITH MY GUIDES 
WHO HAVE VENTURED WITH ME 
THROUGH ALL OF IT
AND THE BREAK
WHEN IT COMES 
AND I STEP AWAY 
IS LIKE LIFE ITSELF 
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO THINK OF IT ALL
CAUSE THAT, WAS NEVER THE PURPOSE 
IT WAS TO EXIST IN IT 
OF IT 
EAT IT 
DRINK IT 
PUKE AND SHIT 
COLLAPSE 
GET UP 

DROP THE MIC
OR THE BRUSH 
OR THE TRUMPET 

AND BOW OUT 



AND THEN, YEARS LATER 
I WAS REUNITED WITH THESE WORKS 
MY MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL STATE 
ENTIRELY DIFFERENT 
SEEING THEM AGAIN 
SPREAD OUT ON THE FLOOR 
OF MY PARENTS FLAT IN NASHVILLE 
IT WAS LIKE SEEING OLD FRIENDS AGAIN 
ONES THAT ARE PRETTY NEW AND UNKNOWN TO YOU 
BUT YOUR BOND IS THAT OF BROTHERHOOD/SISTERHOOD
BONDED OVER THE FIRE OF LIFE’S INTENSITY 
LIKE TOUR MATES 
IF YOU ALLOW IT, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF
FOREVER CONNECTED TO THE PEOPLE YOU JOURNEYED WITH 

ONE THING THAT ISOLATION OF THAT KIND DID TO ME 
IT OPENED MY SUBCONSCIOUS MORE 
MY CONSCIOUS MIND SLOWLY REALIZED 
THAT IT WASN’T GONNA BE DISTURBED 
PHONE OFF, NO ONE I KNEW COMING ROUND 
AND MY SUBCONSCIOUS FOLLOWED SUITE 
EVENTUALLY LETTING IT SINK
THAT IT WAS NOT GONNA BE INTERRUPTED 
IF I SAT AND STAIRED AT A WALL FOR THREE HOURS 

TRUTH IS 
I WAS ..REALLY CONFUSED AT THE TIME 
ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS, IDENTITY AND PURPOSE 
AND I HAD TO WALK THROUGH IT

IT WAS A NECESSARY WRESTLE

FUTILE TRANSLATION | MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS | 44 X 34

EXHIBITION STATEMENT

BY CURATOR, VICTORIA CHAPMAN

YOU AND ME AND EGO by Steven David McKellar is a raw and powerful exploration of the human condition, created during a time of profound isolation and emotional upheaval. Produced in the basement of an abandoned firehouse in henderson, Kentucky. this body of work delves deeply into vulnerability, fear, neglect, and self-discovery. Over the course of seven days in complete solitude, McKellar poured his emotional intensity into this series, resulting in a collection of works on paper, and mixed paintings, that are as bold and loud as they are transparent—offering a visceral and unapologetic honesty. for mckellar’s exhibition at el nido, guests will witness seven mid-sized mixed media paintings.

This exhibition channels the urgency of its creation—works born not just in a firehouse but within an emotional emergency. Through his use of color, line, and form, McKellar sparks a profound dialogue about what it means to be alive, to struggle, and to find fleeting moments of joy and reflection. These paintings invite viewers to confront their shared humanity, exploring the full spectrum of ecstasy and pain that defines existence.

KNOWN FOR HIS EXPRESSIVE USE OF COLOR, DELIBERATE ATTENTION TO SPACE, AND EXPRESSIVE LINES, MCKELLAR’S WORKS REVEAL MOMENTS OF EXISTENCE THAT RESONATE UNIVERSALLY. IN THIS EXHIBITION, HE SHIFTS HIS FOCUS TO MIXED-MEDIA PAINTINGS ON CANVAS, DEMONSTRATING HIS ABILITY TO PUSH BOUNDARIES WHILE REMAINING DEEPLY PERSONAL. EACH PIECE IS A NARRATIVE UNTO ITSELF, BLENDING FIGURATIVE ELEMENTS, ABSTRACTION, AND EXPLORATIONS OF TEXTURE TO PRESENT A COMPLEX PORTRAIT OF IDENTITY AND EXPERIENCE.

MCKELLAR’S CREATIVE FOUNDATION IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN HIS UPBRINGING, SHAPED BY A LEGACY OF ART AND SELF-EXPLORATION. AS THE GRANDSON OF JOHN RICE, FOUNDER OF BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE, MCKELLAR EMBODIES THE COLLEGE’S ETHOS OF SELF-DISCOVERY AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS. HOMESCHOOLED BY HIS MOTHER, LISA (RICE’S DAUGHTER), HE ABSORBED VALUES OF COMPASSION FOR THE WORLD AND OTHERS WHILE DELVING DEEPLY INTO HIS OWN ARTISTIC IDENTITY.

WHAT THE PAINTINGS REVEAL IS SOMETHING UNIQUE. MCKELLAR’S USE OF THE FIGURE IS BOTH INTRIGUING AND ENIGMATIC. THEY SOMETIMES MAY REVEAL THEMSELVES IN HIS WORK APPEAR AS SPIRITS OR GHOSTS, PERHAPS REPRESENTATIONS OF HIS PSYCHE OR INTRUDING ELEMENTS OF CONSCIOUSNESS THAT SEEM TO HAUNT HIM. THESE SPECTRAL PRESENCES, BORN FROM MOMENTS OF ISOLATION AND SHAPED BY PAST EXPERIENCES, DOMINATE HIS CANVASES, SERVING AS WITNESSES TO HIS INTERNAL STRUGGLES. THEY APPEAR AS EVIDENCE OF AN ARTIST GRAPPLING WITH THE COMPLEXITIES OF BEING, USING HIS WORK TO PROCESS AND REFLECT ON EXISTENCE.

MCKELLAR’S USE OF LINE IS EQUALLY COMPELLING. LINES BEGIN AND END ABRUPTLY, VANISH INTO THE COMPOSITION, OR ARE PUNCTUATED BY BOLD, DECISIVE MARKS. HIS INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF COLOR MIRRORS THIS DYNAMIC, OFTEN CREATING A TENSION THAT REFLECTS MOMENTS OF DEEP CONCENTRATION AND EMOTIONAL RELEASE. THESE ELEMENTS ARE BORN FROM A PROCESS THAT IS LESS ABOUT THINKING WITH THE MIND AND MORE ABOUT CREATING THROUGH THE VULNERABILITY OF THE HEART, HAND, AND SOUL—AN ACT OF LETTING GO AND SIMPLY EXISTING WITHIN THE CREATIVE SPIRIT.

HIS PALETTE IS PARTICULARLY NOTEWORTHY. WHILE THE PAINTINGS ARE DEEPLY PERSONAL AND TRANSPARENT, THE COLORS FEEL SOFT AND ALMOST ETHEREAL. THEY ARE DOMINATED BY DELICATE PASTELS—PINK, BLUE, YELLOW, AND RED—THAT, WHILE NOT EARTH TONES OR PRIMARY HUES, ARE SOFTENED BY MCKELLAR’S LIVED EXPERIENCES. THESE TONES EXPRESS BEAUTY, CARE, AND LOVE, TRANSFORMING VULNERABILITY INTO A GENTLE YET POWERFUL VISUAL LANGUAGE.

REIMAGINE IT ANEW, MCKELLAR DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM ARTISTS SUCH AS JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, CHANNELING A SENSE OF INDIVIDUALISM AND STRENGTH THAT FORGES NARRATIVES WITH CONVICTION AND SINCERITY. AT THE SAME TIME, HIS PAINTINGS ECHO THE LIGHT, AIRY QUALITY OF CY TWOMBLY’S WORKS, WHERE BARE CANVASES AND THINLY APPLIED PAINT CREATE A SUBTLE YET PROFOUND AESTHETIC.

THIS MINIMALISTIC APPROACH DEFINES MCKELLAR’S STYLE: HIS PHYSICALITY IN CREATING ART MIRRORS A SENSE OF LIGHTNESS, YET THE STORIES HE TELLS ARE DEEPLY COMPELLING. RATHER THAN RELYING ON HEAVY LAYERS OF PAINT, MCKELLAR’S RAW AND STRIPPED-DOWN COMPOSITIONS REVEAL A DEPTH THAT TRANSCENDS THE MEDIUM. WHILE SOME WORKS FEATURE MORE LAYERING, MOST REMAIN DELIBERATELY PARED BACK—OFFERING JUST ENOUGH TO COMMUNICATE THEIR NARRATIVE WITH AUTHENTICITY AND POWER.

MCKELLAR’S ARTISTIC PHILOSOPHY ALSO DRAWS FROM THE TEACHINGS OF ENGLISH PAINTER, WRITER, AND ART EDUCATOR ROY OXLADE. IN HIS 2009 ESSAY THERE’S AN ICEBERG UP AHEAD, OXLADE WROTE:

“ART’S FIRST RESPONSE MUST BE TO RELEASE ITSELF FROM ITS OLD MYTHS. FOR CENTURIES, ART HAS BEEN SO CLOSELY TIED TO THE PREVAILING IDEOLOGY THAT ANY NEED TO ADJUST OUR WAY OF LIFE IN A WAY THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE PLANET’S CURRENT PROBLEMS WILL MEAN THAT ART TOO MUST RETHINK ITS POSITION FUNDAMENTALLY. ART HISTORY IS THE ‘OFFICIAL’ ART HISTORY AND, AS SUCH, IT STANDS MONUMENTALLY AS THE CUSTODIAN OF THE ICONOGRAPHY OF OUR MERCANTILE PAST, ITSELF CURRENTLY ON TRIAL.”

MCKELLAR CREDITS OXLADE AS A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE ON HIS PRACTICE. WHAT MAKES MCKELLAR’S JOURNEY PARTICULARLY COMPELLING IS ITS DUALITY—SHAPED BY THE STARK REALITIES OF GROWING UP IN APARTHEID-ERA CAPE TOWN WHILE FORGING A LIFE AND CREATIVE VOICE FAR FROM HIS ROOTS.

AT ITS CORE, MCKELLAR’S WORK IS NOT ABOUT HATE OR VIOLENCE BUT ABOUT CONNECTION AND RESILIENCE. HIS PAINTINGS REVEAL A PERSON WHO DEEPLY CARES, WHO STRIVES TO SUCCEED IN LIFE, AND WHO CONTINUES TO SHARE HIS STORIES WITH SINCERITY. THE FIREHOUSE, WHERE THIS SERIES WAS CREATED, BECOMES A METAPHOR FOR RENEWAL, A SPACE WHERE MCKELLAR SALVAGED NOT ONLY HIS ARTISTIC VISION BUT ALSO A TESTAMENT TO HUMAN PERSEVERANCE.

WHAT WE SEE IN THE FIREHOUSE PAINTINGS IS A FASCINATING BODY OF WORK THAT REFLECTS STEVEN DAVID MCKELLAR’S UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE CREATIVE PROCESS, INVITING US INTO DEEPLY PERSONAL YET UNIVERSALLY RESONANT NARRATIVES—STORIES OF LOVE, VULNERABILITY, AND THE ENDURING POWER OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT. EL NIDO ART SPACE IS HONORED TO PRESENT THIS COLLECTION, A POWERFUL TESTAMENT TO RESILIENCE AND AN ODE TO THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF ART.

A NOTE ~ ABOUT THIS EXHIBITION AND ITS TIMING
(JANUARY 6 - 14, 2025)

STEVEN DAYVID MCKELLAR BEGAN INSTALLING HIS SHOW AT EL NIDO DURING A DEEPLY CHALLENGING TIME FOR LOS ANGELES, AS DEVASTATING FIRES SWEPT THROUGH PACIFIC PALISADES, MALIBU, TOPANGA CANYON, REUNION CANYON, THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS, GLENDALE, AND ALTADENA. BY JANUARY 11TH, THE FIRES WERE STILL BURNING, LEAVING A TRAIL OF IMMENSE LOSS—HOMES, CHERISHED BELONGINGS, MEMORIES, AND A SENSE OF STABILITY. AS WE NAVIGATE THIS MOMENT, WE APPROACH IT WITH PROFOUND SENSITIVITY AND RESPECT FOR THE HARDSHIP FELT ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY.

THIS CONTEXT LENDS A POIGNANT LAYER TO MCKELLAR’S WORK. THE PAINTINGS IN THIS EXHIBITION WERE CREATED IN 2019 IN THE BASEMENT OF AN OLD FIRE STATION IN KENTUCKY—A SPACE THAT BECAME A SANCTUARY OF CALM DURING A TURBULENT TIME IN HIS OWN LIFE. LIFE OFTEN MOVES IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS, INTERTWINING ADVERSITY WITH RESILIENCE AND INSIGHT. STEVEN’S CREATIVE PROCESS MIRRORS THIS TRUTH: THE QUIET YET POWERFUL ACT OF MAKING ART AMID CHAOS SPEAKS TO THE HUMAN CAPACITY FOR STRENGTH, TENDERNESS, AND TRANSFORMATION.

WHILE THE EXHIBITION REMAINS UNTITLED, ITS TIMING FEELS PARTICULARLY MEANINGFUL. THIS COINCIDENCE IS UNINTENTIONAL, YET IT HIGHLIGHTS OUR HOPE THAT STEVEN’S WORK OFFERS A SPACE FOR REFLECTION, HEALING, AND CONNECTION. HIS EXPLORATION OF LINE, COLOR, AND SPACE TRANSFORMS HIS PAINTINGS INTO VISUAL POETRY—EVOCATIVE COMPOSITIONS THAT ECHO THE SONGS HE HAS WRITTEN OVER THE YEARS. IN THIS WAY, HIS ART BECOMES A GESTURE OF SOLACE, INVITING VIEWERS TO EXPERIENCE MOVEMENT, LIGHT, AND EMOTION THROUGH THEIR OWN UNIQUE LENS.

WE ALSO HONOR THE PROFOUND SYMBOLISM OF FIRE STATIONS. THESE ARE SPACES WHERE INDIVIDUALS DEDICATE THEIR LIVES TO SAVING OTHERS IN MOMENTS OF CRISIS—HEROES WHO EMBODY COURAGE, SACRIFICE, AND HOPE. FIRE, WITH ITS DUALITY OF DESTRUCTION AND TRANSFORMATION, CONTRASTS WITH THE STEADFAST PURPOSE OF FIRE STATIONS: PLACES OF SERVICE AND UNWAVERING SUPPORT. IT IS HUMBLING TO CONSIDER THAT STEVEN’S WORK WAS CREATED IN SUCH A SPACE, IMBUING HIS PAINTINGS WITH AN UNDERCURRENT OF RESILIENCE AND CARE.

AS WE PRESENT THIS EXHIBITION, WE DO SO WITH DEEP EMPATHY FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY THE RECENT FIRES. OUR HOPE IS THAT THIS SHOW NOT ONLY ACKNOWLEDGES THEIR STRENGTH AND LOSS BUT ALSO OFFERS A QUIET MOMENT OF REFLECTION, CONNECTION, AND HEALING.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

STEVEN DAYVID MCKELLAR IS A MUSICIAN, PAINTER, AND POET FROM CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA. AFTER A 20-YEAR MUSIC CAREER, TOURING GLOBALLY WITH HIS BAND, CIVIL TWILIGHT, STEVEN BEGAN RELEASING HIS FIRST SOLO RECORDS AND RETURNED TO HIS ROOTS IN PAINTING. AS A CHILD, HE WAS TRAINED IN REALISM BY HIS AUNT AND RENOWNED SOUTH AFRICAN ARTIST DONNA MCKELLAR BEFORE FINDING COMMUNITY AND CREATIVE OUTLET THROUGH MUSIC AND POETRY.

IN SEPTEMBER 2022, STEVEN RELEASED ‘NAMA,’ A TEXTURAL AND RHYTHMIC EXPLORATION OF HIS SOUTH AFRICAN ROOTS AND IDENTITY. ‘NAMA’ IS A FOLLOW-UP TO TWO EARLIER MUSICAL RELEASES, ‘ETHIO’ AND ‘BELLEVILLE DEMOS’— SOON TO BE REISSUED.

AFTER A DEBUT SOLO SHOW OF HIS EARLY PAINTINGS IN NASHVILLE, TN AND A SOLO EXHIBITION IN LOS ANGELES, NOOIT GE DACHT, STEVEN HAS CONTINUED HIS EXPLORATION OF BOTH THE MUNDANE AND THE ESOTERIC, STRIPPING AWAY LAYERS OF IDENTITY WITH YOU AND ME AND EGO.