Art Exhibition THREADS by Kat Bell

A story of life, dreams and memories intertwining, entangling, and unravelling like threads of knotted course hairs on the tail of a wiry old beast. The artist has used painting, basketry, crocheting with wool, fibres and other materials, embroidery, beading and more, to create her artworks that represent threads of dreams and memories in relation to her thoughts on surviving and living with trauma. Contrary to the darker, central topic of this exhibition, pieces are made using bright colours, playful imagery, and a childlike presence. Each artwork is intended to be a mixture of pleasing, playful, wilful, dreamlike, imaginative, and challenging to the viewer. The viewer may not necessarily feel the immediate impact of the serious topic that is represented in these works, but with the accompaniment of their descriptions the somewhat uncomfortable and challenging nature of trauma will bare through. This is intentional, as the artist believes that trauma doesn’t always mean that things need to remain dark and uncomfortable. Through healing, we can learn, grow, and take hold of these threads of memories and dreams, rethreading them into a new story, a new path, a new future.