Finding light through art

FIBRE and textile artist Anzara Clark has opened her latest exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s Backspace Gallery.

Where the Light Enters looks at wounds, cracks and brokenness and how light may enter these spaces which normally remain dark.

The two and three-dimensional works use thrown away and damaged paper to convey a sense of moving forward.

“There’re two aspects of the exhibition and one is the material process aspect as my work focuses on paper textiles and I’m really fascinated with continuing to explore how much paper can act like a textile,” said Clark.

“The other aspect refers to a statement by Rumi about where the light enters and it’s really an exploration of wounding and healing.”

Clark aims to illicit a sense that the works are made from fabric, despite being made from paper.

“One of the things that I love about paper is it sort of gently jolts people’s assumptions or perceptions,” she said.

“People look at it and think its fabric and then say ‘oh goodness, it’s paper, I didn’t know you could do that with paper.’

“It gets people to look at things from a different angle.”

It is also hoped the exhibition will portray that healing is not a linear process.

“Healing happens in its own way and time, it’s not always clean, it’s messy and doesn’t guarantee curing,” said Clark.

“Even when you do heal and move forward, it changes you and leaves scars.”

The exhibition is now open and will close on Sunday 3 December.