Serena Hart

labour of love', explores concepts surrounding memory, family and acts of love. With the use of textiles and film slides, the work is an immersive installation I would consider a subtle shrine, dedicated to my grandparents and expressions of love.

labour of love' is not only an exploration of familial connection, but the forms in which we express love to one another - mine is my practice, and shown through the manual act of embroidering. Just like my Opa took photographs of his family over the span of decades, and how my Nana has provided warmth, food and connection, I have shifted my creative practice into an expression of love and admiration.

My Opa, who has vascular dementia, was a hobby photographer and his collection of unseen photographs (that are within the thousands) are deeply fascinating and alluring to me, as I feel the connection towards memory is something currently important in my family life. He is slowly losing his memories, even the concept of who I am, and I feel a need to document as much knowledge as I possibly can.

Depicted is a photograph of my grandparents embracing along a cliff side on a road trip sometime is the late 60s approximately. This is my favourite photograph from their collection.

so you want to see me cry?' is a self-portrait oil painting reflective of the sense of numbness and isolation I have felt in both lockdown and beyond, and how a carefully crafted dreamworld of beauty and vastness can be a form of escapism and joy.

My oil painting 'Arthur' is a dreamscape of symbols and iconography, containing the central portrait of Arthur, the most important and prominent figure in the work. Arthur is my artistic character, who depicts a separate, idealistic part of myself and a form of escape. He represents pure creativity and freedom of expression.