solo exhibition
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Frehner Gallery
at Monroe Arts Center DEC 20, 2019 - MAR 20, 2020 Opening Reception - JAN 31, 2020 |
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Frehner Gallery
at Monroe Arts Center 1315 11th Street Monroe, Wisconsin 608-325-5700 monroeartscenter.com Use 14th Avenue entrance, wheelchair accessible |
Gallery Hours
Tuesday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Wednesday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Thursday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Friday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm |
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Opening Reception
JAN 31, 2020 5-7pm Artist Talk - 6pm Meet with the artist and hear more about the work. Monroe Arts Center gallery exhibitions and opening receptions are free and open to the public. |
About the Body of Work
We all crave some sort of control, whether it's over ourselves, our situations, anything. My struggle with mental illness is a constant battle to maintain control of myself, to manage what goes on in my brain, and to have it go as unseen as possible. To be a content, productive human being while dealing with something like this is my quiet control. Every person is trying to keep in command of something that we know nothing about, and it's a very silent battle. We've all got something, and not one of us is alone in it.
We all crave some sort of control, whether it's over ourselves, our situations, anything. My struggle with mental illness is a constant battle to maintain control of myself, to manage what goes on in my brain, and to have it go as unseen as possible. To be a content, productive human being while dealing with something like this is my quiet control. Every person is trying to keep in command of something that we know nothing about, and it's a very silent battle. We've all got something, and not one of us is alone in it.
About The Artist
Hanna's paintings are hidden stories striving to find their voice, and each piece is an attempt to make sense of unsure answers to ever-changing questions. Intertwining scrawled out text with abstract atmospheres, she creates stories within layers of paint and ink. The words in her work draw influence from inner dissonance, adverse experience, and unfailing resilience within herself as well as from society. Each account may be written out and written over as the narrative changes. Process is what gives her work its power - the unabashed impulse of the gesture, emotion in the movement, and pain of the unheard struggle. The use of text as image ties everything together to become not only a work of art, but a cathartic experience for both artist and audience. She aims for her work to inspire the viewer to ask questions and fearlessly reach inward to discover their own answers and stories.
Hanna Bruer relocated to Madison, Wisconsin in 2008 after earning her bachelor's degree with an emphasis in 2-dimensional art and photography at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Since that time, her work has come to prominently feature illegible text and abstract layers. She has permanent installations throughout the midwest, including Northwestern Technical College and Dane County Credit Union. She has worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness for their Healing Art Shows, earning Best In Show Finalist in 2015. In addition, she has provided live painting performances at the Majestic Theater and Memorial Union Terrace in Madison, as well as for Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Gallery Nights. Her work and story have been featured in the numerous publications.
On top of an abstract atmosphere, the most prominent, identifiable aspect of her work is the use of text as imagery. The text is often an essay to herself; unspoken words of frustration and discovery involved with her daily fight for resilience. The importance of each gesture, movement, word, and emotion reveal themselves in the layers of each piece. To combat self-doubt and insecurity, Hanna also offers her work as a performance, painting and baring her internal self in front of an audience. She converts a blank canvas into an active work of art, letting the bystander experience her creative process.
Hanna's paintings are hidden stories striving to find their voice, and each piece is an attempt to make sense of unsure answers to ever-changing questions. Intertwining scrawled out text with abstract atmospheres, she creates stories within layers of paint and ink. The words in her work draw influence from inner dissonance, adverse experience, and unfailing resilience within herself as well as from society. Each account may be written out and written over as the narrative changes. Process is what gives her work its power - the unabashed impulse of the gesture, emotion in the movement, and pain of the unheard struggle. The use of text as image ties everything together to become not only a work of art, but a cathartic experience for both artist and audience. She aims for her work to inspire the viewer to ask questions and fearlessly reach inward to discover their own answers and stories.
Hanna Bruer relocated to Madison, Wisconsin in 2008 after earning her bachelor's degree with an emphasis in 2-dimensional art and photography at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Since that time, her work has come to prominently feature illegible text and abstract layers. She has permanent installations throughout the midwest, including Northwestern Technical College and Dane County Credit Union. She has worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness for their Healing Art Shows, earning Best In Show Finalist in 2015. In addition, she has provided live painting performances at the Majestic Theater and Memorial Union Terrace in Madison, as well as for Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Gallery Nights. Her work and story have been featured in the numerous publications.
On top of an abstract atmosphere, the most prominent, identifiable aspect of her work is the use of text as imagery. The text is often an essay to herself; unspoken words of frustration and discovery involved with her daily fight for resilience. The importance of each gesture, movement, word, and emotion reveal themselves in the layers of each piece. To combat self-doubt and insecurity, Hanna also offers her work as a performance, painting and baring her internal self in front of an audience. She converts a blank canvas into an active work of art, letting the bystander experience her creative process.
This exhibit has been made possible by Mike and Shelley Muranyi; Duxstad and Bestul, S.C.; Paul and Sue Barrett; David and Julie Buchanan; John and Donna Glynn; and Lee and Chris Knuteson.