Kalli Bednarz is an Indianapolis-based artist working in painting and installation. Her research-driven practice uses archaeology as a lens to explore the human experience through curiosity, archival study, and direct observation. Her work brings together painting, site-based research, and public dialogue, often depicting luminous figures engaged in acts of searching, study, and care.

Bednarz has exhibited at the Indianapolis International Airport and the Cultural Arts Gallery at IU Indianapolis. She also apprentices in fine art framing and restoration under the mentorship of Anatoly Petrov of Petrov Frame Atelier, deepening her understanding of craftsmanship and material preservation. She holds a BFA in Visual Arts and Animation from Ball State University.

Artist Statement

It’s mysterious being human. I think archaeologists spend much of their lives tuned into that mystery. I am drawn not only to archaeology as a discipline, but to the way it shapes perception. Thinking like an archaeologist, a student, a scholar, and a craftsperson has become a way of understanding myself and the world around me. While I may not fit the traditional image of an archaeologist in the field, I feel exactly where I am supposed to be, somewhere balancing between archaeology and the art world.