21 February – 2 May 2023
GVPL Central Branch
735 Broughton St, Victoria, BC
Artist Statement:
Peta Heald’s latest series examine the culture of graffiti and their comment on pop culture. She is stricken by the motivation of these unknown artists to make art in a climate of impermanency. Anonymous to the pubic, these creations often appear overnight and are likely to unexpectedly disappear. These artists let go of their work knowing that another anonymous artist may paint over or add to their creations; it all seems fair in their world, even when their art is eventually scrubbed clean or painted over, whether their work was considered an act of vandalism or spontaneous expression.
Peta Heald recognizes the invaluable contribution graffiti artist’s present to the community, adding to the visual fabric of our city and inspiring the viewer. They enrich our urban experience and this is why she honours them in her canvas works. As every viewer’s reaction to graffiti art is individual, her personal interpretations are shaped by her own emotional response to these unique, temporary works while they transform in time and space and then disappear.
DISCLAIMER
I have not been able to identify the graffiti artists that have inspired my work and since their works have been obliterated, they are no longer part of our visual landscape. In an effort to give them a second life and in consideration of fair dealings, my composite works are a humble tribute to long gone creations with the hope that they live briefly in another form until I too dismantle these works to allow for other constructions.
About the Artist:
Peta Heald is a ceramic and mixed media artist living in Victoria and in Tofino, BC. For many years she experimented with all forms of high fire clays and porcelains, eventually working in large format Raku sculptures. Her works have been exhibited and sold in Vancouver, Victoria, Tofino and through Vancouver Island. Later her involvement in theater and as an actor in fringe venues sparked her interest in local popular culture. This crossover in multi media led her to explore new media platforms by embarking in various projects such as the design of life-sized collaged surfboards and ceramic busts.
At present Peta Heald focuses exclusively in creating mixed media 3-D constructions. Her subject matter is our city’s ever-changing juxtapositions of architecture, advertising and public art. Her work process starts by identifying and photographing these fleeting city scenes, deconstructing them and then re-constructing the imagery she captures onto small canvases, with found objects and other materials, to create whimsical small icon – like works.
