Soft by Helen Atkins - Exhibition Catalog

SOFT by Helen Atkins with collaborative works by Will Geusz

SOFT: helen atkins

Harwood Art Center October 5 - November 20, 2020

COVER: Helen Atkins, Five (detail), stoneware, 4.5” x 17” x 3”, 2020

On March 13, 2020, in accordance with public health emergency orders, we announced Harwood’s building closure, ceased all in-person gatherings, deployed staff to work from home, and began pivoting our programs to continue mission-driven service to the 10,000 New Mexicans we engage each year. In this transition, we have made fundamental shifts in the content, strategies, and financial models we’ve refined over 29 years of rootedness in our public, physical, arts center, and we’ve shaped, tested and rolled out an array of new distance arts and exhibition engagements, and have many more to come.

As we contemplated how to adjust our exhibitions program, for a time when we cannot plan physical convenings (such as exhibitions or opening receptions in our galleries, which have been cornerstones of this program), we’ve explored countless ideas, and we’ve sketched out a revised framework that we believe upholds the core value(s) of the program and adapts best to the upsidedown of now.

Under the current guidelines, our October exhibiting artist, Helen Atkins was able to install her physical exhibition in our gallery at Harwood as originally planned. The exhibition has been accessible to the public by appointment for one hour with one on one time with the artist. All visitors to the gallery have worn face masks, practiced social distancing, and complied with all safety guidelines set forth by the CDC. To increase the reach of the exhibition, it has been throughly documented and presented here in a comprehensive digital exhibition catalog. Additionally, we hosted a Virtual Reception & Artist Talk with Helen Atkins on Zoom, Thursday, October 22, at 5:30pm. This event was free and open to all ages. A recording of the Virtual Reception & Artist Talk is archived on our website and accessible for anyone to watch.

– Harwood Art Center

Soft is a sculptural installation that exalts an often depreciated part of the human body.

This installation examines rituals of transformation, and the relationship between physicality and identity. The series focuses on the belly as a source of deep cultural and individual significance. The “belly portraits” depict real individuals, modeled from references gathered via social media. These portraits exalt a depreciated part of the body, often shrouded in shame and hid in privacy. The exhibition, with its wall hanging sculptures, video art, and functional dining installation, draws a parallel between secular and religious promises of transfiguration. The artist creates a new form of transformation, taking photos that are given to her and creating works that deify the sender’s physical form.

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Helen Atkins, Two, porcelain, 6” x 8” x .1.5”, 2020

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BELLY PORTRAITS helen atkins

The 11 wall hanging sculptures represent 6 individuals who shared photos of their bellies privately via social media with the artist. The bellies sit in sculpted vintage mirror frames, referencing domestic ritual and privacy. Once sculpted, the Belly Portraits were molded and cast in a semi- transparent resin, mirroring and distorting their formation on the left side.

The center piece, a mirror, signifies the transition between physicality and reflection, as the viewer comes face to face with their own torso. The series comments on the constant societal pressure to flatten and erase the belly. Diet and wellness culture promise transformation to the consumer. Atkins creates a new kind of transformation with the muse, one that accepts the figure as it is.

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Helen Atkins, Five (detail), stoneware, 4.5” x 17” x 3”, 2020 7

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Helen Atkins, Soft, installation view 9

Helen Atkins, Three, stoneware, 7.5” x 6” x 2.5”, 2020 10

Helen Atkins, Four, mixed media, 18” x 12” x 2”, 2020 11

Anonymous belly submission used as reference for One and Negative One Helen Atkins, Negative One, resin on mirror, 6” x 6” x 2”, 2020 12

The artist takes photos shared with her on social media and transforms them into ceramic hanging sculptures. The belly portraits evolve once more as they are molded and duplicated in semi-transparent resin.

Helen Atkins, One, porcelain, 6� x 6� x 2�, 2020 13

Helen Atkins, Five, stoneware, 4.5” x 17” x 3”, 2020 14

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Helen Atkins, Negative Four, resin, 16” x 11” x 1.5”, 2020

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Helen Atkins, Negative Two, resin, 6” x 8” x .1.5”, 2020

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Helen Atkins, Soft, installation view

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Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Take, Eat, stoneware set, 2020

Take, Eat

Video Performance & Table Setting Collaboration with Will Geusz

The installation at the center of the gallery includes a table and functional dinnerware. The stoneware set mimics the internal organs of the torso. The table setting, and its belly-portrait- backdrop reference the last supper. The vessels become a eucharistic ritual, further emphasized in the video performance where Atkins and Geusz eat from the body.

Atkins draws a parallel between wellness and religious rituals and their promise of a “new body�. The short video piece is an act of rebellion against diet culture and skinny supremacy. It also captures another transformation as the contents of the organ vessels dwindle and figures move and change throughout the course of the meal.

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Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Take, Eat, stoneware set, 2020 22

Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Large Intestine lll, stoneware, 12.5” x 3” x 2” 2020 Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Small Intestine ll, stoneware, 8” x 4” x 1.5” 2020

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Helen Atkins, Soft, installation view 24

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Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Stomach, stoneware, 8.5” x 4.25” x 2.5” 2020 26

Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Left Kidney, stoneware, 4.5” x 1.5” x 2” 2020 // Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Right Kidney, stoneware, 4.5” x 1.5” x 2” 2020 // Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Large Intestine l, stoneware, 7.5” x 2.5” x 2” 2020

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Helen Atkins, Take, Eat, stoneware set in use, 2020 29

Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Heart, stoneware, 9.5” x 4” x 2” 2020 30

“My creative work is motivated by a desire to explore identity, both introspectively and communally. As an interdisciplinary artist, the common thread running through my paintings, sculptures, and community-based projects is it’s human focus. My work explores the symbiotic nature between individuals and their communities, especially how one’s sense of self is affected by culture. I am attracted to the presence of contradiction in identity, therefore, my work aims to compose opposing forces harmoniously and in various media. I juxtapose notions of femininity and strength, divinity and normalcy, beauty and the mundane to not only reconcile my own contradictions, but to question societal notions of race, gender, and beauty. Throughout my career, I have been deeply involved in community engaged practices. While much of the art world can be inaccessible and whitewashed, I find that socially engaged art creates communities where I, an artist of color, feel welcomed. I am continually interested in engaging with communities that disrupt white-patriarchal norms and share my work to that end.”

- Helen Atkins Helen Atkins and Will Geusz, Large Intestine ll, stoneware, 11” x 3” x 2” 2020 31

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helen atkins Helen Juliet Atkins is an interdisciplinary artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received a BA in Studio Arts from the University of New Mexico in 2016. Her studio practice, public works, and community engaged projects often focus on the intersection of art and social justice. Atkins is a 2018 recipient of the inaugural Women in Creativity “Shine� Award, which honors creative women and their community impact. She is a co-founder of Plates Against Patriarchy, a visual arts and storytelling project that challenges patriarchal systems of power. Atkins currently serves on the Albuquerque Museum Board of Trustees. While working on collaborative projects, she is also building a body of work that explores notions of experience and identity; this work has been shown in galleries nationally and internationally. www.helenatkins.com

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ABOUT HARWOOD ART CENTER & ESCUELA DEL SOL MONTESSORI

HARWOOD ART CENTER’S GALLERIES are dedicated to providing exhibition, audience expansion and professional development opportunities to artists.

Harwood Staff curate four exhibitions annually; the remaining months are awarded to individuals and groups through a competitive application process.

Harwood, the outreach program of Escuela del Sol Montessori, is a creative center for community and the arts. We believe that equitable access to the arts and opportunities for creative expression are integral to inspired, passionate individuals and to healthy, vibrant communities. Participating at a grassroots level, we recognize and engage the arts as a catalyst for lifelong learning, social change and community development. We provide art education for all ages; community outreach projects and events; teaching and apprenticeship opportunities; and studios, exhibitions and professional development programs for both emerging and established artists.

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For 50 years, Escuela del Sol, an independent Montessori school, has nurtured self-discovery, social responsibility and passion for learning in our students.

Each day Escuela supports students from ages 18 months to 13 years on their real-world quests to excel academically and to develop the skills they need for meaningful, happy and successful futures.

Harwood and Escuela are dedicated to instilling a passion for lifelong learning, creative expression and positive impact on our world.

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WWW.HARWOODARTCENTER.ORG · 505.242.6367 · 1114 7th NW, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87102