Kelly Robert was born in Newport Beach, California in 1976. She lives and works in Massa Italy and Brooklyn, New York.

Robert studied sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2001. In 2020, she completed her Masters of Fine Art at the New York Academy of Art (NYAA). During her time at NYAA, Robert received several merit-based scholarships as well as two sculpture residencies in Massa Italy.

Created in clay then fired and painted, Robert’s sculptures are poses of strength. Her inspiration is people who, after facing intense personal adversity and struggles, pull through the difficulty of the moment and arise with confidence and strength. She purposefully exaggerates the twisting poses beyond the natural form to emphasize the energy and the power that are released in this moment of hope.

The figures are angular yet curvaceous. These undulating surfaces and gently pointed edges are reminiscent of nature itself. Robert feels these elements and the shadows they create allow the viewer to visually travel the piece similar to how one observes a rolling sand dune or a mountain range.

The sculptures are supported internally by a clay structure and then Robert meticulously sands the surface to smooth, stone-like finish. The colors chosen for each sculpture symbolically represent the action the figure is making in that pose: teal blue can represent a figure in the sea, yellow could be a moment of electric excitement.

Robert has exhibited her sculptures in numerous exhibitions and they have been placed in several important collections.