| /
The Significance of pollinators to our planet and survival of all species has been highlighted in recent years as scientists akr the decline of bee populations around the world. Both Sara Wiens and Sarah Hope have been exploring the role of pollinators through their artwork in different ways.
Sara Wiens has based her mixed media paintings on the flight patterns of honeybees as they forage to and from their hives. Scientists affixed transmitters to the backs of honeybees to determine how they orient themselves in the landscape and hwat factors affect their homing abilities. The complexityn of layered lines and colour patches in the artwork remind us that over time, the layers of different bee individuals overlap repeatedly to create an indispensable imprint on the survival of all species.
Sarah Hope's mixed media works focus on native pollinators' homes and how humans can create space in their minds and physical surroundings to ensure survival. Her installation work incorporates recycled and foraged material such as plants, paper and natural derived inks and dyes to represent vulnerability and imperanence of fragile ecosystems. Her mixed media paintings are whimsical expressions of pollinator landscapes and human interaction with pollinators.
The artists hope for viewers to think more about the role of pollinators and how they effect our environment. Sara Wiens' vibrant paintings give pause to think of the energy one single bee takes to ensure millions of flowers are pollinated. Sarah's installations ask us to look at the layers of the ladsape for where pollinators might be living. She is especially imploring gardeners to make space for wild and messy patches with native plants, bare patches of earth and dead twigsm as these are where bees, butterlies and beetles live.
The artworks are mant to engage the viewer in a sensory way, from the wandering bee paths in Sarah Hope's installations, to the engaging colour palettes of Sara Wiens' paintings. The goal is for viewers to gain appreciation for the interconnecedness of these amazing insects and humands and preserve this relationship
Sara Wiens
Sara Hope