Niamh Hawes
Pictured is my exhibition work which is inspired by feminist artists who reclaim textile work as an art form, when it had been historically represented as conventional 'women's work'. My developed works emanate from my research on domestic violence. I used wax as a method to harden soft materials like fabric and wool, which can be ripped apart and broken. My textile work consists of metaphors as I explore ideas of mystery behind violence against women. Through processes like dipping fabric in wax and knotting material together, I alter something that was once soft and pliable - into something strong with form. My artwork does not allude to what it is or what it means and allows the audience to make up their own minds.
More recently I have been exploring the ideas behind the book ‘To draw is to be human’ by Emma Dexter. Dexter tells us about how we find children’s drawings to be precious as they create little artworks based on how they perceive the world. It had been years since I read Dexter’s book, but I began to remember its contents when something shifted in my personal life. My 93-year-old Grandma had been moved into a retirement home and I began to experience a part of the world which was new to me. When visiting my Grandma, I became familiar with the other residents as the ladies often congregate in the lounge. We exchanged stories and one day I told the residents that I am an artist. Most of the responses were kind and I learned that several of the residents love to paint and draw when they were younger, but never expected to pick up a paint brush again.
I wanted to explore the creative ideas that older people have, as well as the creative ideas of children. Collaborating these pieces of work, allows me to discover how we as humans perceive the world at the beginning of our life, and at the end.