In her new exhibition, Lo and Behold, Dana Holst presents a series of paintings which provoke speculative narratives around bullying and the emotional lives of young women. Investigating the subtle methods employed by the female bully; gossip, rumour mongering and mental intimidation are quietly woven into the fabric of the pieces as Holst depicts the desire to gain power and dominate within society.
Holst is particularly interested in the experiences of the victims of bullying and how the various cruelties inflicted can expand within and erode a person's hope to the point of despondency and contemplation of suicide. Aggression, power, despair, Lo and Behold seeks to examine this troubling aspect of human nature; both our appetite for dominance and our weakness and willingness to remain mute witness to the cruelty of others.
Dana Holst is a mid career Canadian artist based in Edmonton, Alberta. She was recently selected by Wajdi Mouawad, the director of the Theatre Francais (National Arts Centre in Ottawa) to be Associate Visual Artist for the 2011-2012 season titled "Nous Ne Sommes Pas Dangereux".
Working with themes of social stereotyping and power struggles between the sexes, Holst is preoccupied with depicting the female experience. Her girl figures are usually dressed in frilly costumes with matching hair bows and equally menacing emotions. Mysterious scenarios for the wayward girls include hunting for wild animals and living out fairytale fantasies in an attempt to find and exert power.
Holst's work is included in private collections throughout Canada and the United States as well as the public collections of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (Edmonton, AB), Agnes Etherington Art Centre, (Kingston, ON), Art Bank (Ottawa, ON) and Glenbow Museum (Calgary,AB).
Exhibition runs November 29 - December 23, 2012
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