holly story

skin deep

27 april - 26 may 2007

Holly Story’s exhibition of prints and objects is inspired by her love of Deep River, a biodiversity hotspot in the South West of WA.

She stated, “In my recent practice I have been exploring notions of “landscape” and “place” and the role of the body and memory in their cultural construction. The direction of my new work shifts the emphasis more particularly onto the sensory nature of human perception and I am excited by the potential of the work to articulate a corporeal sensibility in relation to environmental politics…”

“My ideas have been influenced by the discourses of phenomenology - the philosophy of perception – and the writings of David Abram, in particular his interpretation of the ideas of the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, who stated, “…the boundaries of a living body are open and indeterminate; more like membranes than barriers, they define a surface of metamorphosis and exchange.”

Holly’s work focuses on these surfaces of ‘metamorphosis and exchange’, developing forms that evoke plant, animal and human “skins” in a fluid continuum of internal and external surfaces. Hand-dyed and stitched blankets become metaphors for skins, pelts or coverings. Native plant matter and human hair are pressed into the soft pliable surface of thin lead sheets, leaving intricate details, like fragments of memory. These “nature pressings” are based on techniques used by early botanists to record specimens. Through this investigation Holly hopes to further her, and her viewers’, understanding of the interdependence of the human and natural world.

A comprehensive full colour catalogue will accompany Holly’s exhibition. It contains essays by Bronwyn Goss, eminent West Australian artist and writer, and Dr Stephen Hopper, Foundation Professor of Plant Conservation Biology at the University of WA and, as of last year, the 14th Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.

deep river notebook: path
embossed lead, solvent transfer on rag paper
34 x 60cm
2006
$800
night walk #1
embossed lead, oil paint, embroidery hoop
aprox 30 x 30cm
2006
$660
night walk #3
embossed lead, oil paint, embroidery hoop
aprox 30 x 30cm
2006
$660 sold
deep river notebook: kangaroo
embossed lead, solvent transfer on rag paper
34 x 60cm
2006
$800
night walk #5
embossed lead, oil paint, embroidery hoop
aprox 30 x 30cm
2006
$660
night walk #6
embossed lead, oil paint, embroidery hoop
aprox 35 x 35cm
2007
$660 sold
deep river notebook: fragrant
embossed lead, solvent transfer on rag paper
34 x 60cm
2006
$800 sold
night walk #7
embossed lead, oil paint, embroidery hoop
aprox 35 x 35cm
2007
$660
twined
hair, wooden shelf
21 x 15 x 17cm
2006
nfs
deep river notebook: moon
embossed lead, solvent transfer on rag paper
34 x 60cm
2006
$800
green pelt
blanket, silk thread, plant dyes, wooden stool
180 x 35 x 28cm
2006
$6,600
pink pelt
blanket, silk thread, plant dyes, wooden stool
180 x 35 x 28cm
2006
$6,600
deep river notebook: blue
embossed lead, solvent transfer on rag paper
34 x 60cm
2006
$800 SOLD
offerings
plant dyed blankets, hand made string, wooden stools
47 x 40 x 40cm [x3]
2006
$6,600
harvest
wooden chair, 3 plant dyed + stenciled blankets
96 x 42 x 45cm
2007
$2,200 sold to city of fremantle
deep river notebook: fire
embossed lead, solvent transfer on rag paper
34 x 60cm
2006
$800
field of vision
plant dyed linen, silk thread, salt, embroidery hoop
21 x 21cm [x3]
2006/07
$1,200 sold
deep river notebook: rich
embossed lead, solvent transfer on rag paper
34 x 60cm
2006
$800 SOLD
view I-V
plant dyed linen, silk thread, salt, embroidery hoop
19 x 19cm [x3]
2003/07
$2,000 sold
deep river notebook: moss
embossed lead, solvent transfer on rag paper
34 x 60cm
2006
$800 sold
green fuse I
embossed lead, oil paint, wood
120 x 120cm
2007
$1,200
green fuse II
embossed lead, oil paint, wood
120 x 120cm
2007
$1,200
deep river notebook: visit
embossed lead, solvent transfer on rag paper
34 x 60cm
2006
$800