We are more complicated than we think we are. We are even more complicated than the stories we tell. We react and respond to the world without one breathe in between. We don’t see the someone right next to us. That someone could be carrying with them an entire room-full of trauma, a deep dis-connect to others, severe loneliness or a radiant joy that could be spread like wild fire. Where has it become our nature to engage before listening or looking? Revealing or attempting to engage with others about the difficult aspects of our human nature can make us feel vulnerable. There is far too much shame in looking at the “stuff ” we carry. Could humans act more compassionate if they could see what they and their neighbors are holding onto? These artworks explore the weight of burden. What We Carry is a celebrated, introspective art series by contemporary Maine artist Hélène Farrar. It serves as a visual meditation on the human condition, exploring themes of trauma, joy, and the unseen burdens people carry.
To hear Helene’s talk on this project in the context of her solo exhibition at the Maine Jewish Museum in 2001, click here.
Helene at the Opening Night
THE Elephant In the Room
3 X 5 Feet, Acrylic on Pine $2,200
Weight of Worry 24 X 24 inches $900
The Elephant In / Out of the Room
$1500.
Beauty in Weight
Sold
Persistence
$1,100
Remember the Night Rainbow
$900
Seeking Solace
Sold
Fragile Connection 1
$900
Fragile Connection 2
$900
Weight Is Heavy
$1100.
Resistance
$650
Middle, In the Middle
Sold
Along For the Ride
$210
First Snow: Reaching Up
Sold
Five Trunks
Sold
Solstice 2
Sold
Blue Night
$300.
Top of Round Top, Towards Belgrade, November
$700
Grandfather's Dream
$1100.
