Adrian Kellard: Acts of Intercession on Behalf of Gay Men

Adrian Kellard (1959-1991) had a prolific ten-year career in which he created large woodcut installations inspired largely by Catholic saints, the Madonna and Child, and Jesus. Born and raised in the Catholic tradition, Kellard held on to his faith until his death from AIDS at age 32. However, he was also unapologetic in embracing his sexuality and identity as an openly gay man. In reflecting on one of his works in 1986, a screen dedicated to Saint Francis that served as a room divider in his bedroom, Kellard observed, “Ever since I was a kid I was always taken by Saint Francis. In the Catholic church the saints are intercessors between our natural lives and our supernatural aspirations. Through the example of their lives, they function to help human beings, striving for a supernatural goal, find inspiration and strength.” This paper argues that just as the saints intercede on behalf of the faithful to Jesus and Mary, Kellard’s works are best understood as acts of intercession. They operate as prayers that insist upon the presence of gay men in the Catholic tradition through the imagery—and the objects themselves—that the artist intentionally connected to his everyday lived experience at a time when gay men, especially gay men with AIDS, were more often than not treated with hostility and fear by the Catholic Church.