This artwork is part of our Sydney Contemporary 2024 presentation, exhibiting at Carriageworks 5-8 September.

Amber Hearn’s latest body of work is a series of self-portraits woven into landscapes that capture the anticipation of the arrival of her daughter, speaking to both the emotional and physical shifts within the body. The works highlight the complexities of labour and childbirth, whilst encapsulating the symbiotic relationship between the pain and beauty of that experience.

Says Amber of this work, “After many long hours of being in labour, I felt ready to emerge from my cocoon. I knew it was time to move from the safe nest I had engulfed myself in, to the open space prepared for my daughter to come into the world. A subconscious letting go and transformation took place in that moment as I repositioned myself.

“From an introspective viewpoint, veils and curtains are drawn in this work, poised for a new life to enter. Bold brush strokes symbolise dynamic movement and connect my body with the canvas, while the horizon line creates a theatrical stage where vulnerability is laid bare. Employing this layered approach, forms are painted over each other to reveal subtle traces of their past existence, visually articulating phases of self-discovery that were traversed during labour. “