Social Ideology: The Art Portfolio of Hollis Roberts
Sometimes, things weigh on you, steel, fabric
Hollis Roberts is an artist from the Comox Valley, BC, who currently works primarily in sculpture. Hollis uses her artistic practice to express ideas of social ideology, especially by presenting familiar or archetypal objects in compositions that are unfamiliar or deliberately jarring.
Rocking Bench, steel, aluminum
As we saw in our previous feature of Hollis’ sculptures and installations, we looked at the artist’s use of heavy, corded materials -- commonly associated with household rugs, lawn furniture, and other suburban detritus -- in abstract sculptures and installation. This use of textures, colours, and materials that evoke a certain time and place in the viewer’s mind, but removed from their expected context, is a hallmark of Hollis’ practice.
I also enjoy Hollis’ work in other media, such as video. The video compositions in the artist’s portfolio seem to serve as companions to her sculptures in some cases -- Balance, beam, barrel, for example showcases the power and impact of a work that couldn’t have been fully captured by a still image.