“I don’t make art to decorate walls. I make it to confront silence, hold space, and give shape to things we can’t always say out loud.”

Statement

  • Kik.artistry exists to express the raw, unfiltered truth of the human experience. Through abstraction and portraiture, my work captures the emotional weight that lives beneath the surface—revealing beauty in pain, and depth in silence.

  • My mission is to create art that speaks the unspeakable—honouring trauma, resilience, and survival. Through bold, expressive visuals, I aim to connect with others on a deeply human level, challenge assumptions, and turn lived experience into lasting impact.

  • My work is not about erasing the past—it’s about transforming it. Every piece is a reflection of what can still be made, even when everything seems lost. This isn’t about recovery or return. It’s about expression born in the aftermath—where survival itself becomes a form of creation.

Artistic Bio

I am Travis Kikalis, a multidisciplinary artist based in Perth, Western Australia. Before identifying as an artist, I had engaged in various roles: elite athlete, survivor, wanderer, and seeker of stability.   

My life experiences have led me through challenges and moments of silence, often encompassing narratives that remain unspoken. However, my art articulates these truths with greater sincerity than words can convey.  While art did not save me, it provided a meaningful avenue for my expression.

My creative practice began as a deeply private endeavour, exploring torn sheets, layered textures, and fragmented photographs.  Over time, it has evolved into a distinct language characterised by abstraction, emotional depth, and expressiveness. I prioritise authenticity over mere aesthetics, discovering a profound beauty in the realness of my work. I work across mixed media, photography, and found-object sculpture, integrating elements of the natural world with personal symbols of resilience.  

My style is intuitive and tactile, the diverse landscapes—both internal and external—that I have navigated. I am particularly fascinated by the remnants of experience: the marks left behind, the shapes we carry, and the significance of broken things.  My work embodies a dual focus on survival and expression, with each piece emerging from lived experiences—thoughts, memories, scars, and silences—transformed into something visible and shareable.  

Today, I create not only for myself but also for those who have felt invisible, fractured, and voiceless. Through commissions and collaborative storytelling, I offer individuals the opportunity to translate their journeys into visual echoes—personal, poetic, and impactful.  

In essence, my practice involves taking what hurts, holding it in my hands, and crafting something from it.

Artistic Statement

My art is born from what’s left behind — fragments, textures, ruins, and silence. I work with what feels honest: torn fabric, raw marks, found objects, and images that speak without needing words. My process is not about perfection or polish; it’s about truth. Each piece reflects the spaces I’ve survived, the selves I’ve rebuilt, and the stories I’ve carried when they felt too heavy to speak aloud. I create to honour what persists after breaking. To give shape to emotion. To turn aftermath into form. There’s no performance in my practice — only presence. What you see in my work is not just art, it’s evidence: of grief, resilience, transformation, and hope that doesn’t shout but still refuses to disappear. This is not about return or recovery. It’s about reimagining what beauty looks like when it’s built from ashes.