UNRAVELING

A fine art collaboration between fiber artist KAT HOWARD and ceramicists Benedicte and Jerome  Leclere of L’IMPATIENCE, this exhibition was hosted by Pinkwater Gallery in November 2023 after being shown in Spring 2023 at the Fuller Building in Kingston.

UNRAVELING is a conversation about the conflict of attraction and repulsion through the lens of two contrasting mediums: fiber and clay. This collection of works is centered around a cruel tension that resides undetected at first look, manifested through thousands of interwoven linen threads that bind and pierce scarred ceramic bodies. Existing as bound forms, they emulate the feeling of bodies being overpowered and contained.

There is the raging violence that exists beneath this hushed and latent spectacle, harboring a relationship most definitely turbulent. The two materials attract and repel each other, they need each other to exist in this dark co-dependency resulting in their brutality being exposed. What happens to the body when it is forced to become a vessel for trauma? In what ways do we physically carry pain? How is the self altered afterwards?

LAGOM

In LAGOM, multi-disciplinary artist Helena Palazzi grapples with the profound loss of both parents within months. Of saying farewell to them earlier this year, she notes “this loss severed the last tangible link to my childhood and the past.”

This experience ignited a deep introspection, leading me back to my roots in Sweden, where my upbringing by a Swedish mother and a larger-than-life Italian immigrant father in a conformity-driven, social democratic society significantly shaped who I am today.

In this quest to understand myself and my enduring fascination with my ancestral heritage, steeped in Norse mythology, folklore, and fairy tales, I reflect on a society that values collective unity over individuality. I always felt like I stood out, much like my father did. The societal norms encouraged blending in without extravagant displays of emotion, fueling within me a passionate desire to break free while simultaneously instilling a fear of drawing too much attention.

Though I left Sweden as a young adult in pursuit of a world less bound by the concept of lagom (a Swedish word meaning not too much and not too little), I find myself repeatedly revisiting my upbringing and memories to draw inspiration for my art. In my creative journey, I strive for balance. My color choices are subtle, and my palette remains minimalist, yet beneath this serene exterior lies an ardent wish to express myself boldly.

Within my artistic process, I fully embrace experimentation and spontaneity, permitting the canvas to reveal layers of revelation. Paint flows, mixes, and interacts, unveiling concealed narratives and undiscovered facets.