Hollis Heichemer

In September, Hollis Taggart will open Hollis Heichemer: Entanglement, New Hampshire-based artist Hollis Heichemer’s second solo presentation with the gallery and her first since formally joining the gallery’s program in April 2020. The exhibition will feature a selection of Heichemer’s new abstract paintings, which capture the artist’s brilliant use of color and organic and fluid gestures. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue that includes an essay and a selection of poems inspired by Heichemer’s new works by writer and artist Tamsin Spencer Smith. Entanglement will be on view from September 10 - October 9, 2021. An opening reception will be held on September 10, from 5:00 - 8:00 PM.

Heichemer takes initial inspiration from the natural landscapes surrounding her home. Her paintings are characterized by rich gradations of greens and blues that shift from dark intensity to light-filled translucency. Her spontaneous gestural approach infuses the works with a sense of motion, suggesting the colors are active beneath the surface plane. This sense of depth invites the viewer to step into the painting in a way, as though there is an open path of color, light, and emotional evocations one can follow. While Heichemer is often compelled by nature, she draws on experiences through time, allowing her works to develop fluidly over a period—in some instances days and in other instances months. In this way, her works become capsules of sorts for an array of moments in and outside of the studio.

Heichemer’s painterly practice has always been free flowing. However, the happenings of the past year and a half have further opened her approach to humanity’s intangible expressions. For Heichemer, this moment in time has inspired further questioning about her work and the way that art, and paintings in particular, serve as an entry into a journey and a process rather than a conclusion. To this end, Heichemer is not interested in affixing a meaning or definition to her work, but rather she invites viewers to look; to experience; and to find their own meanings within it.

“For me, painting is about exploring. An adventurer does not set out on a journey knowing exactly what they will find. They take up a path and let the world unfold naturally, taking in the discovery and allowing it to drive the sense of significance. This is also how I am approaching my work, letting the painting take me into an unplanned process and inspiring me to question and examine what excites me; what inspires me; what I am passionate about,” said Heichemer.

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Hollis Heichemer was born in Binghamton, New York in 1963 and currently lives and works in 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 Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco and Stanek Gallery in Philadelphia. Her first solo exhibition with Hollis Taggart, titled Happenstance, opened in April 2019, and her work has since been included in several of the gallery’s group presentations, including most recently, A Way of Feeling.

For more information about Hollis Heichemer: Entanglement, please contact us at info@hollistaggart.com or +1 212.628.4000.

For press inquiries, please contact Alina Sumajin, PAVE Communications & Consulting at alina@paveconsult.com, + 1 646.369.2050.