31st July – 8th September.
earth pigments, charcoal and pastel on loose canvas. Diptych 1750 x 1500 mm overall.
Helen Harvey (Mātāwaka, Pākehā) is always pushing boundaries and searching deeper inside herself and into her materials to find the way to express her concepts. Rich accretions of significance hold the viewer, drawing them into the surface world Helen has created.
As an artist with an ecological focus, consideration of how materials return to the earth is woven into my practice. The concept of advancing whakapapa recognises that choices made today have ongoing effects on the environment and future generations.
Whakakotahi explores the fusion of textiles and Te Taiao (the natural world), referencing the relationship between animals, plants, and minerals in Aotearoa. Woven rugs and textile-inspired paintings explore material connections in the environment, which are artificially mediated by human activity.
Whakakotahi asks us to question our relationship to the natural world through material choices, and how the materials we use today might coalesce with Te Taiao in the future.
Helen will be giving an artist talk about her art practice on Sunday 31st August in the gallery from 2pm. This talk is called Earth-based materiality in Practice. This is a free event and all are welcome.
Helen Harvey has exhibited in our space over the past couple of years, most recently in Time – The Juried Regional Exhibition for The Surface Design Association. Helen’s work is a marriage of painterly practices, ecodying and printing and fabric manipulation. Her resulting surfaces are richly complex and deeply layered – inviting the viewer to visit and revisit and then again revisit – each time finding new elements and deeper expressions. What Helen will bring to the gallery space for this exhibiting season will be exciting and enriching. Helen will also be the artist in residence over the time of her exhibition so we will all have lots of time to learn about her and her practice as she is here in our community. Check out Helen’s Artist Page: https://fromoutofthebluestudiogallery.com/helen-harvey/