Exhibitions

HEATHER HARTMAN: KUDZU SEASON

Channel To Channel / 507A Hagan St April 3, 2021 - May 1, 2021

Heather Hartman

These dreamy, atmospheric paintings by Heather Hartman record the seasonal shifts in her surrounding environment as well as her efforts to process the unprecedented events that transpired during their making. The smooth surfaces and soft, meditative light are the result of an intensely physical process. Layers of paper and delicately cut Tyvek are manipulated beneath the surface – pushed and pulled in and out of focus – then diffused by a layer of polyester mesh and oil paint.

The kudzu plant is both a visual and conceptual touchpoint, signifying the historical complexity and seasonal cycles of the American South. Originally introduced to provide shade in the home garden, Kudzu was later promoted as a cure for farmland ravaged by tobacco and cotton monoculture. Its invasive nature was not truly understood until it was too late. The roots grew deeper. The wounded land, bandaged in a green blanket, did not heal.