About Janelle VanderKelen

Janelle VanderKelen is an artist, curator, and educator currently based in Knoxville, TN. Her films and ceramic sculptures imagine alternative acts of relation between imperfect bodies (human, vegetal, geological, or otherwise) and make visible the agency of plants.

VanderKelen’s work has been exhibited at institutions including the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Boulder, CO; Anthology Film Archives in New York; and Bow Arts in London, England. Her films have screened at Ann Arbor Film Festival, True/False, Athens International Film + Video Festival, Revelation Perth International Film Festival, IC DOCS, San Diego Underground Film Festival, and Antimatter [Media Art] Film Festival.

Recent awards include juried awards at the 2023 Ann Arbor Film Festival + 2023 Thomas Edison Film Festival and Nohl + MacDowell Fellowships.

Janelle also co-curates a monthly non-profit screening series called aCinema with Taka Suzuki.