we cannot believe it is already the last exhibition for the year. hbg is going out with a bang in the form of 3 solo exhibitions for tennessee artist johan hagaman, hometown girl sarah helser and brooklyn based painter helen robinson. all three artists have worked incredibly hard in their studios to bring together a group of new work showcasing their exceptional talents. we are going to let the images speak for themselves. all we can say is WOW…we love our artists.
johan hagaman is a mixed-media artist who works in concrete, paper, and found objects to create abstracted figures, often ensconced in some form of nature: vines, thorns, or birds-- which serves to help explore how we shape ourselves and our world, how we are shaped by it, and what seeks to emerge. this current body of work contains openings in the forms suggesting spaciousness, the japanese have a word called yutori that expresses this as space to breathe, to imagine, to dream.
johan has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in english from indiana university. she began pursuing visual art as a profession after two years of service in the peace corps in sierra leone, west africa, where she was inspired by the power, necessity and transcendent nature of their art forms.
she has work in galleries, private and public collections including nashville’s historic courthouse, tennessee state museum, and the evansville museum of arts and sciences. she was the recipient of the tennessee artist fellowship for 2005.
sarah helser was born in high point, north carolina in 1980. she spent her formative years on a farm where she enjoyed the beauty and solitude of nature. her childhood and young adulthood has had a major influence on her creativity as an artist. sarah went on to study fine arts at the university of north carolina, greensboro, where she refined her interests by focusing on the figure and the use of alternative mediums. sarah’s work is meant to express the beauty of the world around her, weaving together both realistic and abstract forms.
“all of my paintings have a dreamlike quality to them. they are grounded by an image floating just beyond what is visually expected in a surreal space. i have come to describe my paintings as what you feel just as you wake, when reality hasn’t come back into full focus. i call this the “blue hour.” i have been fascinated with this feeling for many years, when our minds haven’t had time to focus on apprehensions and are still swimming out of our dreams. this is the sacred time that my memories or reflections have a moment in which i am both in my body but untethered and my imagination is most poignant. these paintings are my interpretation of this. with these new works i have expanded this theme further, exploring larger scale and layering of patterns and imagery to add depth and interest. they serve to both intrigue and quiet the mind for a brief time so that the viewer might experience an untouched moment just like the blue hour of our minds.”
the blue hour (a journal entry, 2009)
in the unnamed begging hours, in the remote blue
when the darkness of night has burned down
i loll in the barren belly of half sleep, revisiting our history. i can see you
beneath the snow and streetlamps,
wearing that coat that made me think you announced the weather.
winter had thrust forward his granite knuckles,
but we had swung wide, dodging the blow.
in his own way , he apologized for his bitterness, linking each of your eyelashes
into a string of pale white kaleidoscopes.
in my imaginings we are always more beautiful,
and the walkways where we once stood are part of a city worth while.
we are a metropolis considered from airplane
windows, bodies leaned forward just to look at us.
distance to the ground has placed us in good light, each street flawless, neighborhoods distinct,
tiny perfect squares. even
our very avenue admired upon landing.
my body remains together, though you have been subtracted.
you lifted off.
the city is removing a building from the ground near my new home. in these moments
just before the beginning, when the dog is breathing deep i listen
as workers fire their steel voices through winter smoke.
schoolboys, with wives for mothers,
hold rounded thermoses close. one has a funny look, an unfocused sort of grin.
you would have pointed him out, yet only as one would notice
a strip of gold hiding in the crease of a grey morning.
helen robinson’s ongoing series ode to the t-shirt began in 2017, and she has continued to build a body of work around the idea that clothes, accessories, and more specifically t-shirts represent unspoken forms of communication and serve as tools of self-expression. for centuries fashion has allowed us to express ourselves creatively and help form a sense of identity; but recently the way we dress has become even more personal and direct. verbiage has introduced itself into our clothes, allowing us to plaster our opinions across our chests. it has become a small, yet strikingly clear, symbol of the times. whether that’s a form of protest, opinion, expression of joy, inspiration, humor, fact, or anything else, t-shirts are the perfect blank canvas for visually voicing ideas, bridging the gap between identity and communication.
helen is based out of brooklyn, ny. she received her bachelor’s degree in studio art and art history at vanderbilt university in 2013 and continues to build her own body of work at her studio in brooklyn. helen’s work focuses on conceptual portraiture that explores the nature of representation and the limitless potential of the human figure as a subject. she uses non-traditional portraiture to consider modes of representation and self-expression. her paintings are all derived from photographs and studies and are mostly documentary in style. overall, helen's work expresses human connection and social interactions based on our relationship to our surroundings and one another.
“my recent paintings focus on messages of positivity and vulnerability. the paintings range from lighthearted celebrations of joy and kindness to more overt reminders to embrace self-love and authenticity. some paintings are infused with humor, while others take on a more serious tone. through both styles of contemplation, they invite the viewer to simply do their best amidst life’s complexities. ultimately, this body of work embodies a profound affirmation of individuality, inviting each observer to explore and embrace their unique selves. ”
all available work by each artist can be viewed on our website under their individual tabs including sizing + pricing. hidell brooks gallery is by appointment. please call the gallery if you have any further questions.