Lawson-based artist Bianca Hayden has spent years carving out her practice in the male-dominated field of wood and carpentry. Now she is holding her debut solo exhibition at Platform Gallery in Katoomba from January 11, with an impressive range of art objects that are designed for everyday household use.
“The process for this exhibition really began five years ago when I built my first dining table, to fulfill my dream of bringing my art practice into the everyday things we use,” said Hayden.
“Using sustainably sourced timbers, each piece is meticulously cut, carved, painted, gilded with gold foils, embedded with metal flakes, resin inlays, copper, brass and anything else I can find that is going to make the timber sing.”
Platform Gallery curator Kelly Heylen said: “This is an exciting body of work that ranges from everyday objects such as tables to more abstract artworks for the wall, but all made with Bianca’s painstaking hand-crafted woodworking techniques.
“What I love is how Bianca has found her own niche in what what has long been a male-dominated practice. She is merging the masculine and feminine by injecting the wood with glittery resins and other sparkly materials, using scared geometry and beautiful bright colours to put her own stamp on each piece.”
For Hayden, this exhibition has been a long time coming.
“I’ve spent a lot of years caring for those coming into life, those learning how to live, those fighting to hold onto life, and ultimately preparing to leave life behind. It’s generally women who take on the caring of life and death in all its myriad forms,” she said. “This exhibition is my chance to double back and do something for myself.”
All are welcome at the opening on Hayden’s exhibition Double Back, at 5.30pm on January 11 at Platform Gallery in Katoomba. Join us to hear from the artist, enjoy the incredible art work, and to celebrate women everywhere who are taking care of things and carving out their own paths. The exhibition runs until January 28.