Artist Talk
Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 2pm - Mixed Greens Gallery
Press Release
Mixed Greens is pleased to announce Kimberley Hart's second solo exhibition
with the gallery. In "Scout", Hart expands on her previous use of narrative
to reveal a new chronicle in her alter ego's saga-one of vigilance and
fortitude against a new, invisible, nefarious force.
Through drawing and sculpture, Hart exposes her alter ego (a mischievous,
irreverent young girl who is noticeably absent from the work) as
self-reliant but more vulnerable and suspicious than in years past. Once
full of sparkles and glitter, this persona is no longer fantasizing about
her hunting prowess or setting traps for inappropriate prey. Instead, we
find her hunkered down in an austere outpost with few essentials and a
concern for an unknown adversary. There are vestiges of a carefree girlhood,
but the tenor has changed-a sense of uncertainty has eroded her daring as
she struggles to maintain some bravery in the face of a new, foreboding
reality.
In the front room, Hart's drawings and sculpture reveal the alter ego's
surroundings, shelter and possessions. A "bank" holds prized, as well as
scavenged, provisions and doubles as a repository for a personal currency
and objects to barter in this new world. In the back gallery, there is
evidence of the outside force from which she is defending herself.
Beautifully crafted, ominous vultures skulk and spread their wings near a
pivotal piece titled, "The Death of Sparkle." While Kimberley's alter ego
has proven to be equally prissy and cunning in past exhibitions, she is now
overwhelmed by apprehensions and threatened by the malicious marauder
responsible for Sparkle's death.
Quirky fantasy and fine craftsmanship remain hallmarks of Hart's work, but
the tone has shifted to reflect a change, both imagined and real, in her
environment. There is a marked shift in her alter ego from mischief-maker of
the vernal woodlands to a menaced and solitary defender in a dystopic
landscape.
Courtesy of Mixed Greens
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