US-based artist and educator Kelly Popoff - living and working in Greenfield, Massachusetts - creates expressive, narrative-driven works that examine history, domestic memory, and the shared human experience. Rooted in the belief that imagination is the root of empathy, her practice uses painting as an act of faith and quiet protest. Through an intricate interplay of figurative forms, motifs, and layered surfaces, Popoff draws on personal history and social archives to give form to the unknown, turning personal reflection into universal connection.

Popoff’s practice has been recognised with numerous honours, including the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship in Drawing, the Sustainable Arts Foundation Promise Award, and fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center and Millay Colony. She has held solo exhibitions across the United States, including American Snapshot at Melhop Gallery and At Home with Our Histories at the University of North Carolina, and featured in group shows curated by figures from the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

Her work remains a hopeful engagement with collective memory. “For me, making art is the practice and unfolding of empathy, a kind of prayer and protest that says, 'I am here and remain hopeful'. Painting is an act of love and faith, creating a space for reflection on a shared human experience.”