Geraldine Stevens - Artist’s Bio
Geraldine Stevens grew up by the sea in the North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Her early study and work focus was in the fashion industry as a designer, maker and producer ; later working in costume design and production for the New Zealand film and television industry. In 1997, Geraldine moved to Geneva, Switzerland, then to Samoa in 2004, where she spent three years developing her ceramic work. In 2011 Geraldine returned to Geneva from New Zealand, continuing to work in theatre as well as co-managing a private art gallery. From 2012, she began focussing upon her painting practice, participating in group and solo shows at private and public galleries in Geneva. Now resident back home in Aotearoa, Geraldine continues to exhibit in group and solo exhibitions. Her work is held in private collections in Australia, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, Samoa, Switzerland, USA and New Zealand.
Geraldine Stevens - Artist Statement.
I come from a background of making, thus I use my hands to make art that has an 'energy', or 'life force', experimenting with materials and often taking a sculptural approach to painting. Textiles are a big part of my vision. The cloth of our existence is woven from the threads of memories of people and places we have been. I use those threads to create a unique image with a literal warp and weft running through it. Digital imagery is not far from my mind, with its saturated colours and photo like finish. I'm trying to beat generated AI at its own game, coming up with hallucinogenic images that might look familiar but strive to remind the viewer of the limits of our human existence.
My work has consistent themes but always start from an observation of the natural world. I work by layering paint upon the support, weaving an image that maybe delicate and vague, or clear and precise. I like to mix matt and metallic paints, unusual media or inverting the gesso to the final layer of paint. I'm always questioning how I might capture a tiny abstract moment in time that responds to the eternal movement around us. I understand how much lighting can effect a work and I try to make images that might change according to the time of day. I'm not trying to make an accurate representation, instead creating a suggestion of the image. I always want to see the hand of the artist in the final image to reinforce the idea that this is a hand made work.
While not a graduate of Art School, I have had many teachers and take much that is valuable from each of them. I am curious and experimental and this form of "education" has suited me well. I strongly believe an artists' life is not a linear career, but a vocation. But why paint? Why strive to reach some imperceivable point of satisfaction with an art work? My Art is proof of my existence. I was thinking about what gets left behind when we leave a place, a person, or a life. Art can be a visual reference that captures the complexity of one's thoughts, and emotions, some concentrated drop of our very essence. When a viewer finds a connection with my art work, it is like we have a joint understanding, a kind of crossing of thoughts, questions and answers. We might both see our reflection in my work, just for a moment.
Geraldine Stevens grew up by the sea in the North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Her early study and work focus was in the fashion industry as a designer, maker and producer ; later working in costume design and production for the New Zealand film and television industry. In 1997, Geraldine moved to Geneva, Switzerland, then to Samoa in 2004, where she spent three years developing her ceramic work. In 2011 Geraldine returned to Geneva from New Zealand, continuing to work in theatre as well as co-managing a private art gallery. From 2012, she began focussing upon her painting practice, participating in group and solo shows at private and public galleries in Geneva. Now resident back home in Aotearoa, Geraldine continues to exhibit in group and solo exhibitions. Her work is held in private collections in Australia, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, Samoa, Switzerland, USA and New Zealand.
Geraldine Stevens - Artist Statement.
I come from a background of making, thus I use my hands to make art that has an 'energy', or 'life force', experimenting with materials and often taking a sculptural approach to painting. Textiles are a big part of my vision. The cloth of our existence is woven from the threads of memories of people and places we have been. I use those threads to create a unique image with a literal warp and weft running through it. Digital imagery is not far from my mind, with its saturated colours and photo like finish. I'm trying to beat generated AI at its own game, coming up with hallucinogenic images that might look familiar but strive to remind the viewer of the limits of our human existence.
My work has consistent themes but always start from an observation of the natural world. I work by layering paint upon the support, weaving an image that maybe delicate and vague, or clear and precise. I like to mix matt and metallic paints, unusual media or inverting the gesso to the final layer of paint. I'm always questioning how I might capture a tiny abstract moment in time that responds to the eternal movement around us. I understand how much lighting can effect a work and I try to make images that might change according to the time of day. I'm not trying to make an accurate representation, instead creating a suggestion of the image. I always want to see the hand of the artist in the final image to reinforce the idea that this is a hand made work.
While not a graduate of Art School, I have had many teachers and take much that is valuable from each of them. I am curious and experimental and this form of "education" has suited me well. I strongly believe an artists' life is not a linear career, but a vocation. But why paint? Why strive to reach some imperceivable point of satisfaction with an art work? My Art is proof of my existence. I was thinking about what gets left behind when we leave a place, a person, or a life. Art can be a visual reference that captures the complexity of one's thoughts, and emotions, some concentrated drop of our very essence. When a viewer finds a connection with my art work, it is like we have a joint understanding, a kind of crossing of thoughts, questions and answers. We might both see our reflection in my work, just for a moment.
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EXHIBITIONS
COLLABORATION
- Group Exhibition, Geneva Buzz Art, Galerie Humanit'art, Switzerland, May 2022
- Ateliers Portes Ouvertes des artistes de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland, November 2021
- Solo Exhibition, Immanence, Transcendence, #Herstreet gallery space, Geneva, Switzerland, July 2021
- Joint exhibition, "Paper", works on, and with paper, Empi Mörn and Geraldine Stevens, Viverra, Geneva, Switzerland, November 2019.
- Solo Exhibition, A look within an Unseen Space, #Herstreet gallery space, Geneva, Switzerland, September 2019
- Group Exhibition, LGB Annual Exhibition, Les Centres des Arts, Grange Canal, Switzerland, May 2019
- Group Exhibition, LGB Annual Exhibition, Les Centres des Arts, Grange Canal, Switzerland, May 2018
- Group Exhibition, Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom, D10 Gallery, Geneva Switzerland, 2017
- Group exhibition, Rowing for Gold, Premier House Gallery, Wellington New Zealand, 2016
- Group Exhibition, 3 Hundy, Toi Poneke Arts Center, Wellington, New Zealand, 2016
- Group Exhibition, South Wellington Art Show, Wellington, New Zealand, 2016
- Solo Exhibition, Compression - Decompression, Residence of the New Zealand Ambassador, Geneva, Switzerland, 2015
- Group Exhibition, Ecolint Annuelle, Espace Nouveau Vallon, Chêne Bougeries, Switzerland, 2013
- Group Exhibition, Tiapapata Art Center, Samoa, 2007, 2006, 2005.
COLLABORATION
- Collaboration with George Nuku, Artist in residence at the Museum of Natural History, Geneva, Switzerland. http://institutions.ville-geneve.ch/fr/mhn/votre-visite/museum-dhistoire-naturelle/expositions-temporaires/bouteille-a-la-mer-2120-te-ao-maori/ September, 2020.
- Independent art curation Geneva, 2012 - 2015; D10 Artspace, Contrast Art gallery, WTO exhibition space, Art Zurich. 2013 - 2019.
- Toi Poneke Artists Group Studios, New Zealand 2015 - 2017 participating in group promotion, exhibitions and development. https://toiponeke.nz
- Tiapapata Art Center Samoa, 2004 - 2007 as a practicing artist and potter. Participated in artist community and teaching studio, specialising in kiln fired pottery, painting and elei wood block fabric printing. http://www.creativesamoa.com/
Copyright of Geraldinestevensart - images, text and concept belong to Geraldine Stevens and may not be reproduced in any form without her permission. 2024