Using both robust and delicate materials, artists Kathy Allam, Lisa Dymond, Angela McHarrie, Karen Millar, Pascal Proteau, Helen Seiver and Sarah Wilkinson examine the notion of fragility and strength.
Acting curator Jenny Scott said the collection of works provided a thought-provoking and engaging meditation on the essence of being.
"This emotive exhibition shows us fragility and strength as extremes of existence, which are interlocked by life," she said.
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READ NOW"The artists present fragility as an interesting notion in both life and art, showing us that which may appear delicate has an inner unseen strength; an unyielding exterior protects a brittle centre.
"Each has taken an individual concept and carefully selected their materials to explain their interpretation of this teetering balance."
Karen Millar’s installation, comprised of delicate porcelain forms alongside found materials, references the 76 patients who resided at the Point Heathcote Reception Home in the 1920s, representing a communal existence along with a sense of isolation, solitude and separation.
Angela McHarrie explores the idea of containment through sculptures and drawings depicting forms pierced by linear elements to create their own boundaries.
Helen Seiver transforms steel into seemingly delicate works, which take their inspiration from the native Banksia trees.
Kathy Allam’s works repurposes plastic drink bottles as objects of art by using their lightness and strength to turn a mundane object into something extraordinary.
Lisa Dymond investigates the fragility of the ageing human body using metro-nomes as a metaphor and paper boxes to reference the human gift of service to others.
Pascal Proteau presents symbols of mental and emotional health by depicting the strength of an object weakened to the point of breaking when exposed to external forces.
Sarah Wilkinson focuses on the planet and climate change by adapting theatrical illusion techniques in her works to raise the question, "will rain only be a memory to future generations passed on through stories and machines?".
Handle With Care will be opened by artist and lecturer Louise Dickmann on Friday, August 21 at 6pm.
RSVP by Tuesday, 18 August 18, to heathcote@melville.wa.gov.au or call 9364 5666.
The exhibition will run from August 22 to September 27 at Heathcote Cultural Centre, Swan House, 58 Duncraig Road, Applecross.