February 7–December 22, 2022  |  Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Gallery | Curatorial Text

In-Between the Silence was the inaugural exhibition of Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld. The space in-between the silence can best be described as a place that is not knowable by the mind, but its power and strength can be directly experienced by basking there. It is where the artist allows her mind to go, which is breathed back into her art and poetry. In giving new life and a deeper truth to how she sees the world around her, her artistic practice is heightened and ever evolving. In the mystery of this unknown she gains focus and clarity.  

In-between the silence is the space where the Tao, the Mystery resides, where Carolyn is renewed, and her realm of creativity is enhanced. From that space and in those moments, she explains: 

I bathe in this unconditioned realm of sheer possibility. I cast off the extraneous, ready for liberation, for fresh landscapes. As the numinous silently beams from the darkness, I humbly begin again.  
–Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld, prose from A Realm Birthed in Silence, 2007 

Carolyn is a poet, visual artist and writer who resides in Big Sur, California. Being on a never-ending quest to expand her spiritual and creative reach in her art and life is what guides her. To achieve greater understanding, Carolyn reads a wide range of philosophical thought and teachings. Influenced by luminary colleagues and friends Timothy Leary, Laura Huxley, Anais Nin, and Alan Ginsburg, she strives to comprehend the universe more fully through her artwork and writings. She fuels her art and poetry by challenging herself in new, unfamiliar realms. Her work goes through an organic evolution as each artwork is transformed, it emerges into existence. She is moved to resolve life’s contradictions and paradoxes to find inner balance and harmony through painting, drawing, and writing poetry. 

Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld: In-Between the Silence installation photograph by Tatiana Mata.