Recently Shown

Karlie King: Heart Happenstance

January 20, 2024, to March 24, 2024

Artist talk and reception: February 13th, QEII Gallery, 6:30pm

Artist Statement:

"I began creating these hearts because of an intuitive nudge. I kept seeing sculpted hearts in my mind's eye - in lucid dreams, or as random thoughts throughout the day... Given the opportunity to do so via a residency, I created several clay heart sculptures. And while the hearts are beautiful and interesting (aesthetically speaking) in their own right as objects, they began to take on another level of expression I did not anticipate...

The hearts had an effect on people - they acted as an emotional trigger for many. After holding the heart for a few moments, they would open up - share and reveal personal aspects of their life. Of heartbreak. Of health problems. Of heart-related injury. They would express personal narratives that centered around their heart.

On a more mysterious level, as I kept creating hearts, they started going to people who shared the same qualities as the sculptures...In this way, I started to realize these hearts work artistically on a few different levels. There is the sculptural component of the clay heart. But, there is the intense experience triggered by the clay heart - the stories and experiences brought forth by people, via the crafted heart. 

And even further, I believe the sculptured hearts speak on level of consciousness I cannot yet articulate. They find their way into the lives whose hearts they represent." 

(Excerpt)