INHABIT: iteration 111
Inhabit is a public art project in New Zealand that delves into the traditions of care within birthing communities. Launched in 2021, it creates a space for community care at the intersection of birth, reproductive justice, public art, and social practice. The project connects art-making and story-sharing in homes, emphasizing the diverse experiences of parenthood and family building, and the evolving approaches to postpartum care. Inhabit makes the experiences of motherhood, care work, and domestic labor visible through art and community engagement, fostering exchange and reflection through the sharing of personal stories.
During Inhabit residencies, participants share their stories, and visual and oral histories are actively explored and documented on the project's website. In 2024, Inhabit; Iteration III will feature an installation of sewn banners using iconic New Zealand cotton redline flat nappies. These banners, dyed with natural colors, incorporate messages from conversations during Iterations I and II. The banners, made from women's messages on post-it notes, create an ever-evolving, immersive space that responds to participants and co-creators. The project includes workshops where the artist will shares tea, food, and conversation.
Inhabit highlights the artist's role as a creative facilitator, emphasizing the importance of treating wellbeing with the same value as art. The artist engages in "making through motherhood" to contribute to ongoing conversations about negotiating space for oneself at home, the role of artists in the community, and the challenges of being an artist-mother.
Check back in to see how this project progresses!
Artist Bio:
Holli seamlessly navigates social practice, video, performance, photography, and text-based work, involving audiences as active participants with unique materials like salt, spiritual mediums, carrier pigeons, and a barbershop quartet.
Her focus on Motherhood expands her creative practice, aiming to re-center and heal lived experiences through socially engaged art. Holli explores societal values, encouraging reflection on priorities for potential change.
With a Bachelor's in Visual Arts (Photography) from Unitec, NZ (2006), an MFA scholarship at Carnegie Mellon School of Art (2011/2012), and a Masters of Arts from Auckland University of Technology (2013), Holli brings a diverse educational background.
After training as a full-spectrum doula in Brooklyn, New York, Holli returned to Aotearoa NZ. In 2021, she was awarded the Letting Space Public Arts Commission for her participatory project, Inhabit, showcased in the USA and New Zealand.
Arts Out East is supported by Te Tuhi and Howick Local Board