|
Erika Husselmann a biography
Born in Cape Town and having immigrated to New Zealand in 1999, Erika now lives and works from her home studio in Auckland. Her medium of choice is oils although she also works in acrylic, mixed media, sculpture, assemblage and collage.
Her works are contemporary, sometimes stylised, subtle, free and colourful, but can also be whimsical, quirky, playful and naive. It is usually signed in the left bottom corner with the anagram 'arike'.
Her reference is recollection, dreams and rhetoric: commenting on everyday life, her family, hopes and history - her paintings reflecting her thoughts and emotions rather than recognisable people or places. Over time images of the human figure, faces and elongated creatures have found themselves a permanent place - symbolism embedded itself in her works, boats and birds became symbols of journeys that souls travel; fruit a symbol for words; flowers and trees symbols for people; a simple tent a symbol for life on earth. Her work is often idiosyncratic with the starting point of innocence.
Techniques include alla primo, impasto, sgraffito and sfumato, also layering and glazing - these are often combined but regularly employed according to what the specific work may demand in a heuristic way.
Artists she admires and whom may have influenced her work include Botero, Modigliani, Rita Angus, Colin McCahon. She has studied informally under June Jolly - china painter, and Karl Amundsen. She holds a B.Mus(Ed) as well as a postgrad Diploma in Art and Creativity through a full Oriel Hoskin Scholarship for study in 2009.
Her work is held in private collections in Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa and Sweden.
GALLERIES
Art Of This World, Devonport, NZ
Coast and Country, Browns Bay, NZ
Hot Ginger Gallery, Kerikeri, NZ
Parua Bay Gallery, Parua Bay, NZ
The Garden Art Studio, Cambridge, NZ
In print..
The Southland Times 5/3/2010 http://tinyurl.com/yllabxt
EXHIBITIONS:
2010
'Braveheart' Art Exhibition, ASB Showgrounds, Auckland, 27-31 May 2010
International Collage Exchange, http://virtual.tart.co.nz 1 - 30 April 2010
'New Zealand's Got Talent', Invercargill City Gallery, Invercargill, 5 - 31 March 2010
'Love in the Lolly Shop', Hot Ginger Gallery, Kerikeri, 12 Feb - 8 March 2010
Finalist in 'Estuary Art Awards 2010', Uxbridge Creative Centre, Howick, 11 Feb - 11 March 2010
2009
"Melodious Art" Uxbridge Creative Centre, Howick, 31 July - 13 August 2009
"One Size Fits All" - Thornton Gallery, Hamilton, 10 - 31 July 2009
The Original Art Sale, TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, Manukau City, 26 - 28 June 2009
"After Africa" - Percy Thomson Gallery, Stratford, Taranaki, 20 March to 13 April 2009
National Drawing Award - The Physics Room, Christchurch, 20 January to 7 February
then at Enjoy Public Art Gallery, Wellington, 21 February to 14 March 2009
2008
Parua Bay Gallery Fourth Annual Exhibition - Parua Bay
Auckland East Art exhibition - Kohimarama, Auckland
"One Size Fits All" - Thornton Gallery, Hamilton
The Original Art Sale - Auckland
Royal Easter Show - Auckland
2007
The Original Art Sale - TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, Manukau City
NZ Affordable Art Show - TSB Bank Arena, Wellington
"One Size Fits All" - Thornton Gallery, Hamilton
WAX National Women's Art Exhibition, Gisborne
"Jafas Gathering" - Bruce Mason, Auckland
"Adore" - Haven Art Gallery, Waipu
2006
NZ Affordable Art Show - Wellington
Deo Laus Semper
|
|
|
