Hollis Heichemer
On April 4, Hollis Taggart will open its first exhibition of works by artist Hollis Heichemer at its Project Space at 507 W. 27th Street. Titled Happenstance, the exhibition will include a selection of Heichemer’s vibrant abstract oil paintings, produced between 2017 and 2019. Happenstance will also include several of the artist’s drawings, marking the first time her works on paper will be publicly exhibited. An opening reception will be held on April 4, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, and the exhibition will remain on view through May 4, 2019.
Of her work Heichemer says, “I’m interested in the moment that something shifts. The sudden disruptions, when we’ve moved from one second to the next but in that instant something inexplicable has happened. We’ve seen something; felt something; our imagination has been sparked; a perspective has been altered; and we’ve changed.” Indeed, Heichemer’s richly-colored paintings exude an intense sense of motion, as delicate lines meld with thick brushstrokes and coalesce into wide washes of color. The layering of color in her work, in particular the deep greens and blues, add a tactility that suggests ongoing action and formation just beneath the surface plane in which this one moment has been caught.
Heichemer draws inspiration from her morning runs through the wooded areas around her home in New Hampshire. Letting her mind clear and wonder, she often feels compelled to stop to take in the beauty of the environs or to catch a fleeting thought or imagining. These quiet, uninterrupted moments become the basis of her paintings and drawings—which take further shape over time in her studio—and also provide the context for the exhibition title. While her works don’t directly reference any particular landscape or view, the bright yellows and greens, deep blues, and specks of pinks and reds in her paintings suggest an exuberant experience of nature.
While the vivid coloring of Heichemer’s paintings often suggest an ebullient tone, she points out that change can be in instances beautiful but also tragic. A closer inspection of her work through time indeed reveals moments of darkness, and the paintings featured in upcoming exhibition capture those juxtapositions in mood. To further explore the full scope of Heichemer’s oeuvre, Hollis Taggart will also present several of her drawings. The fine and frenetic lines that comprise these works highlight Heichemer’s innate ability to convey energy with just a few strokes. Experienced together, her paintings and drawings provide a holistic view of the conceptual and aesthetic inquiries that drive her practice.
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Hollis Heichemer was born in Binghamton, New York in 1963 and now currently lives and works between Philadelphia, PA and New Hampshire. Her work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Gross McCleaf Gallery and Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia and J. Cacciola Gallery in New York. She’s participated in a wide range of group exhibitions, including most recently at Stanek Gallery in Philadelphia and Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco. She received her BS from the Ohio University and her MA at Seton Hall University.
For more information about Hollis Heichemer: Happenstance, please contact us at info@hollistaggart.com or 212.628.4000. For press inquiries, please contact Alina Sumajin or Sascha Freudenheim, PAVE Communications & Consulting at alina@paveconsult.com, 646.369.2050 or sascha@paveconsult.com, 917.544.6057.
