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Helen Gordon Retrospective
NEXIS (Narrogin Exhibition Space), 82 Federal Street Narrogin
August 3 @ 10:00 am – August 21 @ 4:00 pm
A range of works showing Helen’s versatility. Paintings in acrylic and water colours on canvas, wood and spinifex paper. Photographs, calligraphy, collages, crafts, and community arts. Books for sale.
Opening 12 noon on Saturday 6th Aug
Book launch 12 noon on Sunday 14th Aug
Celebration 12 noon on Saturday 20th Aug
About The artist
Helen lived in Narrogin from 1980 to 1998. For most of her adult life, she lived in remote communities and rural towns throughout Western Australia – in Laverton, Derby, Kununurra, Narrogin, Tom Price, and aboriginal communities Blackstone, Mulan and Wakuthuni.
As a member of the Baha’i Faith, and an artist of great versatility, Helen explored ways of expressing complex concepts in a visual form to facilitate understanding and growth. She wrote: I believe the artistic process is essential to the development of the human spirit. It can give birth to new thoughts and ideas, new ways of looking at the world, new perceptions; heal the wounded soul; be a channel for the creative mind; and, when directed towards a common purpose, become a strong force for the uniting of diverse peoples.
As well as being skilled in her own artwork, she supported others by teaching at TAFE and many community organisations. She ran workshops and special activity groups with youth, children, schools and women wherever she lived. Helen was a qualified Occupational Therapist and Art Therapist and used these skills in community arts even when she was not formally employed in these roles.
Helen’s artistic work ranged across many art and craft forms. These included painting, photography, calligraphy, graphic design, and collage. Her crafts included silk screening, clay, dressmaking, knitting, pyrography, papier-mache and paper making. Community projects included murals, cards, posters, bowls, baskets, jigsaws, spinifex paper, and earrings.
Helen died in Kelmscott in 2021, at the age of 75 years.
