Kalli Bednarz is an artist and visual archaeologist based in Indianapolis whose work lives at the intersection of painting, archaeology, and memory. She approaches painting as a form of excavation - an embodied process of uncovering, responding to, and communing with the mysteries of human history. Her practice is deeply informed by conversations with archaeologists, the study of excavation methods, and a belief that ancient sites hold energetic imprints still accessible today.
A lifelong resident of Indianapolis, Bednarz holds a BFA from Ball State University. Her background in both painting and art history informs her approach to visual storytelling and material inquiry. At its core, her work is a search for recognition and understanding: of the human experience, of memory, and of herself. It asks what has been lost, buried, or left out and what might still be uncovered through presence, sensation, and care. Her work is also a meditation on death, the afterlife, and what may remain beyond the physical. Guided by the belief that our bodies are vessels of intelligence that extend beyond logic or language, she uses art as a spiritual medium - a way to connect across time and space, and to open dialogue with what may still linger beyond this life.
Bednarz works on the ground, painting on large, unstretched canvas with charcoal and oil to create emotional landscapes. Skeletal impressions emerge through layered, gestural marks that mimic the physicality of digging, a practice both intuitive and methodical. The use of charcoal, something archaeologists identify in excavations as evidence of human presence, grounds the work both symbolically and materially in the act of unearthing. Her paintings are not direct illustrations of archaeological sites, but visual impressions, a felt response to the emotional and energetic residue those spaces hold. Through research, sensory attunement, and site visits, she allows her body to become a vessel for what is sensed rather than seen. The result is a practice that engages both material and mystery, grounded in deep listening to what wants to be re-known.
In 2023, Bednarz debuted her solo exhibition Divine Bodies at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation, a body of work exploring the threshold between the physical and spiritual. In 2024, her solo show, Bath Spa, drew from travels to Bath, England, where she visited the Roman Baths and explored how energy lingers in ancient places. In August–September 2025, she will embark on a self-directed residency The Body is the Vessel: Archaeological and Intuitive Excavations in Rome and Pompeii as a direct extension of Bath Spa, to continue her exploration of ancient bathhouses as sites of healing, embodiment, and community. Her research will include independent study at the British School at Rome, further expanding her understanding of how material remnants and spiritual resonance co-exist at historic sites.
As part of her ongoing practice, Bednarz engages in dialogue with archaeologists from Butler University, Princeton, the Indianapolis Department of Transportation, and the National Parks Service - recording these conversations as a way to bridge disciplines and make their insights more accessible to the public. In June 2025, she hosted a public artist talk in downtown Indianapolis that mirrored one of these dialogues, inviting the public into an open conversation between artist and archaeologist about art, excavation, and the unseen.
Bednarz maintains a studio at the Factory Arts District in Indianapolis. Whether through quiet paintings or participatory experiences, her practice holds space for tenderness and inquiry - revealing the unseen threads that bind us across time.
