Kandice Kardell is a visual artist with a practice rooted in alternative photographic processes and textile techniques. She often works outdoors with natural materials, creating pieces that are both shaped by and responsive to elemental forces.
Her work delves into existential themes, particularly the relationship between death and desire, and how cultural avoidance of grief disrupts our connection to the natural world. She seeks to restore reverence for impermanence and highlight the interdependence between humans and ecological systems. Inspiration comes from both philosophical ideas—un-selfing and ecological grief—and an intuitive desire to preserve what is inherently fleeting. Kardell’s process is both labor-intensive and research-based, emphasizing sustainability and the integration of bio-based, foraged, and reused materials.
Her recent work involves experimenting with algae as a biodegradable, ephemeral medium that mirrors the transient nature of human life—woven and stitched into shroud-like textiles. Bridging emotional and ecological narratives, her work invites viewers to reflect on mortality, grief, and their relationship to the living world. She aims to cultivate a deeper appreciation for impermanence and encourage reflection on the need for balance in a world increasingly shaped by consumption and the absorption of self.
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2025
GlogauAIR Online, GlogauAIR, Berlin, Germany2019—2021
Tempe Studio Artist, Tempe Community Arts, Tempe, AZ2018—2019
Molly Blank Fund and Kennedy Center Teaching Artist, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ -
2024
Spinning Away, solo exhibition, Allmo Gallery, Porto, Portugal2023
Cyanotype, solo exhibition, Cave Bombarda, Porto, Portugal2021
Distanced, solo exhibition, Desert Crafted, Phoenix, AZ, USA -
2025
MESCLA, group exhibition, Outsite Mouco, Porto, Portugal
TOWARD 2050, group exhibition, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ
2024
100x100x100, group exhibition, Atelier 968, Porto, Portugal
Co-Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism, group exhibition, Women of the Hall, Seneca Falls, NY
2021
Light Sensitive, juried group exhibition, Art Intersection, Gilbert, AZ, USA
2020
Light Sensitive, juried group exhibition, Art Intersection, Gilbert, AZ, USA
2019
Choice Cuts 3, group exhibition, The Lodge, Phoenix, AZ -
2019—2020
Mathematical Printmaking (series), Tempe Community Arts, Tempe School District #3, AZ
2019—2020
Artist Books (series), Tempe Community Arts, Tempe School District #3, AZ
2017
Using Visual Literacy to Support Critical Thinking, and Writing, CamTESOL, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2016
Cultural Identity and Visual Storytelling (series), Access Microscholarship Program, Hpa-An and Hopone, Myanmar
Visual Literacy for the EFL Classroom (series), Access Microscholarship Program, Mawlamyine, Myanmar