Cultural Council Sets New Exhibit

Autumn Koti Horne

(Press Release) April 29, 2024 (Lake Worth Beach, Fla.) -- Autumn Koti Horne is a storyteller at heart.

A performance and visual artist based in Lake Worth Beach, Kioti Horne began by writing a poem. Then, using found materials and waste items, reusing depleted sunlight-sensitive solution reconstituted with rain and seawater from the nearby lagoon, Kioti Horne has stitched, knitted, sketched and cobbled together a visual tale addressing the confluence of mental health, climate change, and the struggle to navigate a world where one can never quite find a comfortable home.

Kioti Horne’s exhibition today i am a monster will take place at the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County’s Solo Gallery from May 9 through June 15. Free and open to the public, hours are Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

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​“The first time I saw Autumn Kioti Horne’s work, I understood the story of that ethereal installation, but also enjoyed the visual dexterity of the artist’s use of material and light,” said Jessica Ransom, the Cultural Council’s director of artist services, who curated the exhibition. “Their work emanates from questions, thoughts, and feelings and is manifested into objects that tell their own tale, all the while allowing the audience to engage and experience the installation as filtered through their own eyes and life experiences. Kioti Horne’s work is an echo, a creation, and a shadow of the artist — as they spin tales with fabric, metal, string, paper and other materials given new life.”

As an interdisciplinary artist and master naturalist, Kioti Horne, who is nonbinary, mixes art and nature as humanity’s common languages to create their work. Kioti Horne’s diverse materials include garbage, video and sound, poetry, fiber arts, cooking and food, plant and animal companions, and more traditional 2D and 3D work. Kioti Horne’s work confronts issues such as the changing climate, the Anthropocene urge to conquer the environment, food justice, identity, and the intersection of access to wild space and mental health.

The exhibition at the Cultural Council will be site specific, with works that will never again be shown in the same way.
“I often use repurposed materials and media that are not predictable; imperfection is what makes a thing uniquely beautiful to me.” Kioti Horne said. “The imperfection informs how and what I create, sometimes humorous, sometimes grotesque, but what I really search for in my work is that one singular moment of connection with another person when we really see each other."

Selected through a highly competitive application process, they are one of six Palm Beach County-based professional artists whose work was chosen by a committee for one of the Cultural Council’s coveted Solo Gallery exhibition spots during its 2023-2024 season.

Kioti Horne’s visual and performance work has been shown internationally and at numerous locales in New York City, and is currently on view in the Cultural Council’s main gallery exhibition Beyond Blossoms: The Power of Pollinators through June 22. Kioti Horne’s work was also recently seen in the Cultural Council’s main gallery exhibitions She. Her. Hers. in 2024 and Visualizing Climate Disruption in 2023.

In Florida, Kioti Horne’s work has appeared at Studio 18, Arts Warehouse, GallerRE (Resource Depot) and more. Kioti Horne has been in residence with the NYC Audubon, the Santa Fe Art Institute and more, and recently created the first site-specific performance artwork to be shown at the Norton Museum of Art, commissioned through the Art After Dark program, and received a commission to create an installation and performance for the City of West Palm Beach through ArtLife WPB in partnership with the city’s Mandel Library.  

Autumn Kioti Horne: today i am a monster will run from May 9 through June 15 at the Cultural Council’s headquarters in Lake Worth Beach. Exhibition hours are Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit palmbeachculture.com for more information or to register for the opening artist reception on Thursday, May 9, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; to RSVP, visit palmbeachculture.com/horne. To see more of Kioti Horne’s work, visit www.autumnkioti.com on Instagram at @autumn.kioti.