SARAH HARDY: Immersed

Sometimes the point of creation, at others the point of destruction, water is the key to our existence and our stories. It is perceived by some as a threshold between the physical realm and the afterlife, by others a transformative substance that can cleanse us of all sin. Water has the ability to nourish, grow and cleanse but it also holds mystery and dangerous power. It is in this ebb and flow of duality, where artist Sarah Hardy begins to dive a little deeper.

Hardy’s ideas around water stem from a range of personal, social and historical narratives. She is interested in the heavily gendered mythologies that surround water and the rich symbolism that links water with the feminine. She states, “From primordial chaos, to creatures, monsters and goddesses, narratives surrounding water have portrayed women as creators, powerful forces of nature, protectors and of course, evil seductresses.”

Throughout history, from ancient pagan faiths through to monotheism, water is seen as a way to cleanse, purify and even judge innocence. During the witch-hunt hysteria in the Middle Ages, ‘swimming tests’ or 'trial by water’ was a popular method to determine whether or not a person (usually a woman) was a witch; Our relationship with water is a complex one.

Interwoven with these broader historical narratives is Hardy’s own relationship with water. She states, “ I grew up in a coastal town, I am a life-long swimmer, and I am a former member of the Baptist church, so water holds deep personal and emotional significance in my experience of the world.”

Coming from a background of evangelical Christianty, the lingering notions of cleansing, purifying and re-birth are of particular interest to Hardy:

“I spent many a Sunday as a child watching people being baptised in a pool at the front of my church as a way to be renewed, reborn, and forgiven. Fast forward to today and I find myself drawn to rivers and bodies of water, still feeling a sense of rebirth, renewal and transformation, but now in a way that transports me to an almost timeless moment where I become part of the physical landscape. Swimming naked whenever possible adds another layer of cleansing and forgiveness, as shame is washed away and a more liberated sense of self emerges.”

It is from this point of view that Hardy begins to explore her process in painting this body of work. She is exploring the fluid relationships between water, history, identity, and the materiality of the paint itself. It is a shifting process that relies on memory, the feeling and associations of water, the conversations surrounding our personal histories and what it is to immerse ourselves, and finally what it is to transfer these experiences into a painting.