Faces of the Maasai

Wednesday, May 9, 2001 - 10:00

Seeing with the Heart
By Judy King
At the Galleries Primitif, Woollahra, Sydney
Opens May 11

SYDNEY — A stint as a volunteer nurse in Africa was the inspiration for Judy King's exhibition Seeing with the Heart, which opens on May 11. The mixed media works focus on the faces of the traditional nomadic Maasai men, women and children of Tanzania.

"My subject matter is the faces, the smiles, the eyes and the curiosity, mixed with uncertainty about yet another white person", said the Sydney-based, British-born artist.

The works are layers of texture built up with sand, plaster of paris and bitumen, which are representative of the fragility of the nomadic lifestyle of the Maasai people. The speed with which acryclic paint dries enabled Judy to work and rework over areas with pastels and charcoals.

Seeing with the Heart is showing from May 11 to June 3 at Galleries Primitif, 174 Jersey Road, Wollahra, Wednesdays to Sundays 12 noon to 6pm. A percentage of proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to charity work in Africa.

From GLW issue 447