Rena Burns
Refuge
March 30 - April 24
Refuge
March 30 - April 24
An enthusiast of birding, Rena Burns creates nest-like sculptures suffused with objects from her collections. Like the weaverbird she mimics, she weaves organic masses with willow branches, grass, wire, and yarn. The process is arduous, and the construction is convoluted. The collection, those objects we are compelled to find and keep, become woven between the layers. The collector cares not for the use value of these objects that seem to live in the space between display and safekeeping.
The weaverbirds, gregarious yet cautious in nature, construct their nests in colonies as a form of protection. Earning their name, the weaver painstakingly threads nesting materials back and forth, creating an intricate and elaborate hanging refuge. Burns traces these behaviours by constructing similar dwellings that suggest a longing for this sense of security. Painted black, these complex structures hang in the gallery space and cast ominous shadows across the walls and floor.
Burns’ interest in the nesting habits of birds began as a child, offering bits of string to birds in the backyard of her childhood home. Although notions of home are intrinsic in her work, these vacant dwellings seem almost menacing. The looming shadows of these woven structures become a recollection, suggesting a memory of what once might have been.
Rena Burns is a multi-disciplinary artist focused primarily on painting and drawing. Born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario, she received her Honours BA in Visual Arts in 2007 from Brock University and is currently working as an educator.
The weaverbirds, gregarious yet cautious in nature, construct their nests in colonies as a form of protection. Earning their name, the weaver painstakingly threads nesting materials back and forth, creating an intricate and elaborate hanging refuge. Burns traces these behaviours by constructing similar dwellings that suggest a longing for this sense of security. Painted black, these complex structures hang in the gallery space and cast ominous shadows across the walls and floor.
Burns’ interest in the nesting habits of birds began as a child, offering bits of string to birds in the backyard of her childhood home. Although notions of home are intrinsic in her work, these vacant dwellings seem almost menacing. The looming shadows of these woven structures become a recollection, suggesting a memory of what once might have been.
Rena Burns is a multi-disciplinary artist focused primarily on painting and drawing. Born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario, she received her Honours BA in Visual Arts in 2007 from Brock University and is currently working as an educator.
