Paula Hart

I am a Western Australian visual artist of recognised excellence working in the areas of Public and Participatory Arts, across a broad range of disciplines. Over the past 30 years I have created a busy public art studio practice and work regularly with an established network of collaborators and fabricators. I enjoy exploring stories of people, community, place and identity, with a driving commitment to creating artworks that build a sense of place and will inspire & delight the community. I am particularly proud of the popularity of my work amongst a diverse audience. My aim is always for my artwork to be interesting, innovative and challenging, but most importantly it needs to be accessible, to strike a chord with the public who will see it. One of the strongest aspects of my work is my ability to work together with young people and diverse communities to make artworks that represent them. I have worked with a wide variety of people of all sorts of backgrounds and collectives to examine their identity, their beliefs and the message they wish to portray. This experience has informed a driving commitment to create art employing processes of community participation, cultural mapping and identity. The internationally acclaimed CODAawards celebrate the projects that most successfully integrate commissioned art into interior, architectural, or public spaces around the world. Woolworths Jacaranda Lacefence achieved top 5 in the People’s Choice Awards and WINNER in the Commercial category from nearly 500 entrants across 36 countries. Some kind words On community engagement, "Paula has shown that she very quickly develops a working rapport with young and adult alike. The resulting positive, motivated atmosphere then enables her to nurture the creative spirit in others in a sustained and persistent way. Her very constructive and creative communication skills are considered and practical. Over the time that I have worked with Paula, she has successfully generated an inclusive environment so that all involved feel safe and willing to take risks to achieve results that they did not previously believe they were capable of." Stephen Hovitch - Principal of Bayswater Primary School. Western Australia. On working with children, “Paula has an innate ability to understand and articulate in her work the secret life of children. Full of colour, texture, detail and whimsy, her work is grounded heavily in creative process as she delves inside a child’s mind to extrapolate their thoughts and dreams and brings them to life.” Kate Boyle. BUZZ Dance Theatre. Well, just because… “Paula Hart is an absolute firecracker of a human being, whose passion for art-making is awe-inspiring.”

paulala@paulahart.com.au