“SHE….is about shape, colour, texture, embellishment – about layering and juxtaposing different materials, about creating something from nothing. It is about resilience and endurance, strength and ingenuity…. about paddling the family canoe and her own canoe. For the artists it is about trying to see, to interpret and to understand SHE.
Heidi Berger, painter, is known for her portraits of women, especially those of the Caribbean….
Jason Hope, sculptor,….has investigated the women around him through sculpture constantly in search of…. SHE.”
Some Of The Work In “SHE”
It is indeed an honour to have been asked to exhibit sculpture alongside Heidi Berger at the Caribbean Gallery of Art, Speightstown, Barbados on March 11, 2018.
‘SHE’ would be the first exhibition that I would have prepared a body of work this large in more years than I can recall. I had begun work on this show even before I was asked to by Heidi. For me the female has been a constant topic of exploration for me.
The Interviewer & The Interviewed – Exploring “SHE”
Like many Artists my subjects and subject matter come from my immediate surroundings. I honestly say this is not a matter of convenience, but it comes from the need to know “Why?”. For these series of works I was both the interviewer and the interviewed. I chose to explore SHE directly through my eyes and experiences. Examining my perceptions, attitudes, queries, conclusions and biases towards women.
As I mentioned before I had unwittingly started this process earlier with “Trapped” and “Wata Transformation”. For those pieces, I interpreted my observations of female behaviour and of a female subject whose aura/vibe stood out. This show encouraged me to expand that narrative process and more thoroughly express my internal reflection of females.
The exciting result of this exploration is an entire sketchbook of notes and artwork that will go well beyond this show. I look forward to materialising the notes from my interview with myself about SHE.
Exploring Materials
My guiding philosophy is that I cannot explore subjects or narratives without exploring materials. For me the two are tied together. For “SHE”, I called upon my “in search of…” process where I incorporate objects found in my discourse with nature. I found myself along the northern coast of Barbados in search of and finding objects that helped to verbalise the results of my interview.
I was also happy to have successfully experimented with a paper-based cement formula. Not only am I able to recycle with my found objects, but I am able to reuse the shredded paper and reduce the amount (however small) going to the landfill. I hope the symbolism of this process would serve to remind everyone of the need to be aware that everything we do affects nature. The source of inspiration for so many including myself.