Kenley Turner
Ghostgrl Studio
Kenley is a mixed-media visual artist and musician who thrives on experimentation, using play as a core part of her creative process. Her work often explores themes of esotericism, fantasy, and escapism, with a belief in artistic practice as a form of therapy. Holding a BFA in sculpture from the Kansas City Art Institute, she works at Oil and Cotton in Dallas, TX, has contributed to projects with Meow Wolf, and regularly participates in zine and art book fairs across Texas. She is currently working towards her MA in Counseling with a concentration in art Therapy. 
Kenley's work explores the boundaries between tangible reality and ethereal realms of the subconscious, dreams, childhood memories, and the collective unconscious. Through her art, she challenges the notion that altered states of perception, whether through dreams, nostalgia, or imagination—are any less authentic than our everyday experiences. By distinguishing between these worlds, her work invites viewers to reconsider the nature of reality itself.
Her pieces position the viewer as the hero of a monomyth, evoking the existential journey of youth as they navigate liminal spaces between escapism and reality, innocence and self-awareness. These themes tap into something fundamental within us, raising questions about our relationship with the esoteric. By blending elements of mysticism and postmodernism, her work acts as a portal into a world that is a symbol of western collective subconscience.
Through a lens of capitalistic critique, Kenley examines the tension between reality and fantasy, questioning what is within our locus of control. In a world increasingly dictated by digital simulations and commodified dreams, her work asks whether escapism is an act of agency or a symptom of disenfranchisement.EDUCATION
Currently Pursuing MA in Counseling with Art Therapy Concentration - Antioch University, New Hampshire
2021 BFA in Sculpture - Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
2017 Booker T. Washington High School For The Performing + Visual Arts, Dallas, TX
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Dallas Art Book Fair, Dallas Contemporary
2024 Dallas Zine Fest, Texas Theatre
2024 Zine Fest Houston, The Orange Show For Visionary Art
2024 Riso Rama’s Paradiso, Weil Gallery
2024 Dallas Art Book Fair, Dallas Contemporary
2023 Dallas Zine Fest, Fair Park
2023 Zine Fest Houston, The Orange Show For Visionary Art
2021 Annual BFA Exhibition, H&R Block Art Space
2021 Neurasthenia, William Volker Studio
2021 Artpop! Online Scholarship benefit for KCAI
2020 Barbara Marshall Residence Hall, Kansas City, MO
MAJOR COMMISSION PROJECTS + PERFORMANCES
2024 Trashion Show, Meow Wolf, Grapevine, TX
2021 Created Bronze Panels For Johnson County Community Gardens, Overland Park, Kansas
2019 Haunted Hotel ACLU Benefit, 21c Hotel, Kansas City, MO
2016 Showcase Performance, Moody Performance Hall
GRANTS + AWARDS
2023 Collaborative Artist Grant, Causability
2021 Mentorship Award for Sculpture Department at Kansas City Art Institute
PUBLICATIONS
2019 Spires Magazine
2018 SLAM Magazine
