About

Born in Quito, Ecuador, and based in Chicago, Illinois, Kelly Burbano is an artist and graphic designer working across photography, painting, illustration, and graphic design. Her interdisciplinary practice explores the intersection of whimsy, the macabre, and beauty, using visual contrasts to examine the body, mortality, and our perceptions of beauty. Through imagery, symbolism, and experimentation, her work questions the boundaries between the playful and the unsettling, exploring how beauty can emerge from darkness and how our understanding of it shapes our relationship with life and death.

Burbano is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. Her work spans editorial design, illustration, packaging, and digital media, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to visual storytelling. As Chief Designer of The Dominican Star, the university’s student newspaper, she leads the publication’s visual direction and collaborates with writers, illustrators, photographers, and social media team members to develop cohesive layouts and promotional materials. Across her practice, she combines thoughtful composition with an interest in unconventional imagery, exploring how visual language can evoke emotion, challenge perceptions, and reveal beauty in unexpected places.