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April 6, 5-8p, Kathy Halper’s solo exhibit "What a Day it's Been" oepns at 1100 Florence in Evanston. Halper will be showing work created over the past two years, as well as some embroidered pieces.
A series of six paintings explore the angst and absurdity of our political climate. Embracing Russia's recent influence in our lives, Halper used the culture's beautiful folk art for my inspiration in creating these narratives.
Other new works use discarded Amazon boxes as my primary material. Painting, gluing, printmaking and carving work together to create unique stories of my life.
The show runs thru April 22. There is an artist talk scheduled for Sunday, April 14 from 3-5 pm. Visit 1100florence.com
Artist Statement
What a Day It’s Been
Russia, If You're Listening
After the 2016 election I was frozen. For a year I could not find a direction to make art. When I finally gave myself permission to use my feelings of insanity and anxiety in my artmaking, these paintings poured out. Using Russian folk art as a visual guidepost and an inside joke, I set about capturing my angst. My goal is not to tell the viewer a story they already know, but to exorcise my personal discomfort, and hope that others may recognize their own feelings.
Amazon Tales
Discarded Amazon boxes are the starting point to tell personal narratives that are both ephemeral and tactile, ridiculous and poignant. Is it possible to make art from stories that are not born out of tragedy or remarkable fortune? As I seek out memories of a relatively uneventful life, I explore these questions with rule-free approach to materials and technique, a sense a absurdity and a growing stack of cardboard, looking for the magic in the everyday.
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“Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect.”― Margaret Mitchell
In this series, I express my thoughts on aging by sitting with each image for months on end pondering my dreams and losses with each stitch. I watch them disappear from the top and fall to the ground. I watch them melt out of my life. And in doing so I gain some closure, some peace and the joy that comes from the process of creating the work.
See more works by Kathy Halper at kathyhalper.com
