An artist reception is planned from 2 to 4 p.m. today (Saturday) at the museum.
Her thoughts on drawings
“The most important aspect and emphasis in my work is blunt honesty: the act of confronting and setting free the whole range of emotional experiences, the juxtaposition of the negative and positive forces of life and its consequent death.
“The informal and gestural approach in my drawings is directed towards immediacy and spontaneity. I consciously and deliberately disregard planning and control in the execution. The imagery is very personal and creates a cathartic effect, resulting in a spiritual release and renewal.
“I often use music to enhance my expressive moods. The auditory element forms a connection to the visual and emotional aspects of the work. Sounds evoke particular relationships to colors and line-markings, influencing their intensity.”
Her thoughts on photography
“In September of 2001 I accompanied my husband Gerard Dolan on a trip to Angola. We were there filming part of a documentary for CARE entitled ‘The Last Child The Global Race to End Polio,’ which looks at the few remaining countries in the world suffering with polio. Our travels took us from the capital of Luanda to the coastal town of Benguela and into the interior of the country to the village of Balombo. Angola was still in a state of armed conflict at the time and our movements were restricted by land mines and soldiers. This being my first trip to Africa, and in a country under siege, had a profound effect on me. Yet even in a state of war and a country hovering on the edge of complete poverty the people stood out as friendly, gentle souls.
“In April of 2002 we continued our polio documentary this time in India. Our travels took us through Uttar Pradesh, one of the most polio endemic regions of the world, and onto Gujarat, a region that the previous year had been hit by one of Asia’s strongest and most devastating earthquakes. Again we were struck by the gentle nature of the people we came across, their striking looks and the richness of their culture.
“On these and other trips with Gerard, I accompanied him as his camera assistant and production assistant as well as helping out with audio and interviews from time to time. Being part of a production team gave me more immediate and personal access than a normal traveler would have had. It was during these brief encounters that I would lift up my camera to capture the smiles, the sadness and the dignity of the people I saw. The photographs I have selected represent the best of those moments and the spirit of the people I met in my travels.”
Her thoughts on assemblages
“The assemblages are arrangements of miscellaneous materials – mundane, common, everyday things – that are transformed into objects that operate on a different level of awareness. The context of the materials and the imagery allows for an examination of life’s dualities and dichotomies:
obvious - hidden
balance - imbalance
holding on - letting go
connection - disconnection
simple - complex
“The fragility of the images and the playfulness with which they are constructed are in some ways at odds with the mundane nature of the materials and the self-reflection involved in the process of creating the works. The lack of bright colors and the consequent reliance on texture and composition reflect a reverence for the subtleties of everyday reality.
“All of my works are purposely not titled. These images are intended to engage the curiosity of the viewer and to provoke responses and interpretations based on personal experience.”
Information for this article was compiled from Helmert’s Web site at www.geocities.com/bhelmert.
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