Brisbane artist Sarah Hickey brings her gorgeous, enamouring new solo show ‘Horned Lace Idols’ to Fortitude Valley’s White Canvas Gallery this October.

After completing a bachelor degrees in fine arts and education, and subsequently teaching art in Queensland high schools for five years, Sarah Hickey started to produce art again after a long hiatus from her creative practice.

“In three years, Hickey has held seven solo shows and participated in thirteen group shows. A recent recipient of the Sponsors Prize at the WLS From the Heart exhibition and a featured artist in Curvy magazine, the 2009 Goddess series was chosen as the brand identity for Barossa Belle wines.”

This latest collection, like most of Sarah’s work, focuses on portraits of women depicted as goddesses and idols. These ladies are adorned with lace like patterns and rich textures, tones and vibrant golden colours all blending in to one another to create blissful, refreshing works that move between ages, genres and cultural origins.

One could look at any number of the pieces in both this, and Sarah’s previous collections, and see the present, past and future of artistic style intermingled. The works transport us to ancient lands, or spiritual realms, and into the goddesses that surround us or which we hold within. Sarah is an Old Soul who is before her time. A contradiction in terms that creates something so unique it is almost too hard to explain – especially when you are gasping for air, and words, at the sight of these beautiful works.

“Most recently the women have been sporting horns. Not the devilish horns associated with satanic worship, but bull horns or stag horns, which resonate with the hybrid pagan Gods worshipped before Christianity. To me they represent strength and bullheaded determination, the potential to defend or protect the herd and to warn off potential competition – all attributes usually associated with masculinity.

Despite their organic crowns these women are not overtly aggressive. They wear them as a badge of honour or status, as if to say: ‘I may seem immersed in this timid floral lace landscape but I have these horns, this pride, this potential for danger, this potential for strength’” – Sarah Hickey, on speaking of her latest creative foray.

If you are lucky enough to be in Brisbane at the time, we implore you all to attend this exhibition, this astounding artist and her powerful women have a lot to say.

Who: Sarah Hickey
What: Horned Lace Idols – New Works Solo show
Where: White Canvas Gallery – 26 Church St, Fortitude Valley QLD
When: Opening night Saturday 1st October 5pm. Show runs til 11th October 2011

Also, do check out the Facebook event and Sarah’s brilliant website where you can not only view her previous works but read some of her wonderfully insightful essays!