6 - 25 September 2012
about the exhibition
Helen Geier is an extraordinary artist whose work constantly explores an intellectual, emotional and aesthetic language. The perception and experience of the spaces within a landscape are pivotal themes in her work. In this exhibition, entitled “Meridian”, Helen revisits her work of the late 1990’s with Carrington Bowles’ ‘Practice of Perspective’, published c.1783 as her source. Meridian is defined as the highest point in the sun’s path, a point of both departure and return. Bowles book was a highly influential work of the 17th and 18th centuries that detailed applications of visual and graphical perspective with 150 illustrative copper plates. Helen’s exploration and interest of perspective and landscape not only reflects a Western approach, but also incorporates an Eastern influence inspired by recent travels and experiences in China. These travels revealed in new ways to Helen, “notions of culture – the collisions and elisions of cultures and their visualisation” (Peter Haynes, then Director, Canberra Museum and Gallery). Helen further comments, “I endeavour to illustrate the effects of solidity, time, relative positions and dimensions, bringing together the polar contrasts of Eastern and Western cultural conventions, in a visual form.”
Helen has held over 50 solo exhibitions throughout Australia, as well as in Europe and Asia and has a growing international profile. She lectured at the Canberra School of Art for 14 years but now concentrates on her studio practice full-time. A graduate of the Alexander Mackie College in Sydney, Helen has postgraduate qualifications from St Martin’s School of Art, London and a Master of Arts from RMIT, Melbourne. In August 2001, Canberra Museum and Gallery mounted a major solo exhibition showcasing work from her thirty year career. Helen’s work is represented in many collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Parliament House, Holmes à Court Collection, Artbank, Lasalle Institute of the Arts (Singapore), Australian National University and the National Library of Australia.
