may exhibitions are up at the gallery for emma childs, sarah helser and tony hernandez. there is a lot of talent and creative force in one space and it is not to be missed. all three are southern artists. sarah helser and tony hernandez are both charlotte artists making even more special for us. from abstract to figurative to realism we have it all.
emma childs was born and raised in baltimore, maryland and received her bfa in fine arts from the maryland institute college of art. she uses eloquent shapes and thoughtful pops of color to create objects that physically interact with their environment. through her minimalist approach, childs transforms experiences and emotions into simplified form, color, and geometric edges. the results are eye-catching compositions, which tell complicated and interconnected narratives in an accessible way. emma childs’s paintings are layered depictions of existence in the worlds we build around ourselves.
in this current body of work, emma childs has been developing a language of painting that allows her to explore the way we exist in the world we build around us. childs’ work explores moments of chaos and mundanity, freedom and containment, isolation and contact. she is interested in the ability of a work to evoke an energetically emotional response from the viewer as well as creating objects that physically interact with their environment, to walk a line between creating something self-contained as well as reaching outward.
sarah heler’s charlotte studio
“looking at me looking at you looking at me” by tony hernandez considers the artist’s pain, loss, and relentless pursuit to reinvent. over the past three years, hernandez has undergone multiple surgeries to manage his chronic pain. these experiences often left him powerless, much like the children in his paintings whose lives are shaped by decisions they had no say in. through such warfare, a new language surfaces, making space for wild imagination. it is indelible in the intricate and complex scenes he captures–a crowned, masked child crossing his arms in protest; a red dunce-capped child gazing at a bird on the wall, envisioning freedom. hernandez posits viewers to enter the paintings’ landscapes and consider the much-debated question, how do we regard the pain of others, especially those who are most vulnerable?
the works’ use of myriad materials and techniques—300-pound arches paper, graphite pencils, water pens, ink, colored pencils, gouache, beeswax, and damar resin—creates paintings that are visually simple yet emotionally resonant. one must look at each piece closely to examine the red stitches that carry from one to the next. and another: the motif of the surgical mask, which has been present in hernandez’s work for years. this constant merging of materials is as if to say, you see me one way, but i am actually another way, reverberating the silent proclamations of his subjects.
hernandez’s artistic practice emphatically personifies the expansive terrain of the human experience. he delves deep into the emotions and experiences of children, examining how they must confront their limitations in the face of authority and societal expectations. in turn, hernandez reflects on his own childhood struggles with agency and identity. he often felt masked by his inability to speak the language of his hispanic grandparents. and as a brown child growing up in the south, he felt disconnected from the culture surrounding him. however, over time hernandez has embraced painting as his first language.
with this new language comes the inevitable transformation. as hernandez invites viewers to confront their pain and vulnerability, he reminds them that the sublime is there, too. and in finding it, there is the chance to encounter transcendence and, through it, a new chapter.
all available work by each artist can be viewed on our website under their individual tabs including sizing + pricing. hidell brooks gallery is by appointment. please call the gallery if you have any further questions.