Corrine on ” The joy of life”

If an alien or a new born mind would go to an exhibition of Caravaggio and then on the same day to an other of Mariana Abravomic, he will be extremely  confused about the conception of art.

And yet  regardless of time, époque, culture , individuality and trends , something remains the same, it is what is considered the thrust and the vitality of the energy of life and it is called emotion.

The artist in his river of creativity expresses emotion and the viewer cannot help feeling, and it is the subtlety of this space in between who makes the journey so interesting.

You could almost call the all process art therapy , which as a matter of fact is one of Helgart work , and through an intermingling of vision and mind, you will go on a restorative journey of abstract work of leaves, fossils, people , numbers and mantras, all bathing in a mostly predominant white and turquoise colouring, leaving the exhibit with a feeling that you would not mind yourself to try one of those medicinal, healing art seance.

Once a textile teacher in Germany and a psychologist , Helgart has also studied in Art academy, but mostly what truly transcends through her art  is her capabilities and talents in children art therapy .

Her first spiritual experience being with a subconscious relationship with a tree during a first visit in Auroville, she decided that this is where she wanted to be…and here in this place where she thinks everything is slowing down and give her the space for painting …….she paints.

Like a lot of abstract artist she will tell you that she feels free not to have any concept and just wants to play using the very fashionable trend of the moment , which is blending and combining  elements like cloth, paint and newspapers , which also sometimes makes me wonder if we should not call it more “travail manuel” instead of painting , and she will just keep on doing  whatever she pleases,  like destroying the white with whatever comes in her hand only because the canvas happens to be white, and of course without really knowing how this all journey will end.

So yes, there is a lot of authenticity in the technique itself . and In art therapy she says, you want people to overcome their blockage, like teaching special need children how to dive in the water and trust; you want them TO BE, knowing that there is no right or wrong, and only then through freedom of expression and peace and joy , you can connect to your true self and the divine.

Impressions of enormous leaves with  detailed delicates veins, fossils, numbers appearing out of nowhere in a turquoise or white background  where the imagination  create  fishes, mermaids and old castles lost in a Neptunian world, other pieces with numbers of her niece’s birthday,  others with the inscription of the Tibetan mantra “Om mani padre Om”, reflective of the artist attachment to the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, it is all there for you, but all with very happy joyful pink, white and turquoise colours.

So, you could ask yourself if this creative process is a growth producing experience or if it is just a mean of symbolic communication expressing aspect of human experience?

Regardless, in our days and times where expression, not only in art,  but in almost everything,  overcomes concept, traditional teaching and structure for the better and the worst, you can still try to put all your preconceived thoughts away and reflect on a sentence as old as Plato, saying that:

– “Beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities…” ~