A brown cloth material in the shape of a cylinder on its side, perhaps 5 feet in height. There is a minty green swirl on the circular end visible, and a cloth cherry and green cloth leaf on top.

Karina Bergmans

CAFKA.21 | Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost

YAY HAY

Various locations throughout Victoria Park (32 Dill St), Kitchener

June 7,2021 - August 8, 2021

The kernel of inspiration for YAY HAY is an exploration of the aesthetics of landscape, particularly the view of a freshly baled farmer's field. The sight of hay bales neatly wrapped in white fabric, dotting the landscape like marshmallows, offers a sense of rural order and an opportunity to reflect on the importance of agricultural labour.

A previous project entitled OOH AH WOW was an intervention that brought graffiti styled, hay stuffed sculptures to Fieldwork, an outdoor exhibition site near Perth, Ontario. For Cafka.21 Karina Bergmans is using the natural shape of the hay bale in the creation of bespoke bale covers in the form of a jelly roll, marshmallows and other confections, offering a sense of protection and shelter for the hay. Composed of straw and grasses, hay is primarily used as a feed for livestock. Wheat, which can also be baled, is made into flour which is then turned into baked goods. The act of baking, especially popular in the pandemic, has become an enjoyable and delicious pastime.

 

 

YAY HAY Educational Virtual Tour

 

About the artist

Karina Bergmans is a multidisciplinary artist who works in sculpture, installation, performance, public art and public interventions. By converging the themes of communication and the body, she creates cross disciplinary installations merging art and science. Themes in her work are based on our collective experiences of language, communication, text and play. An installation of inflatable sculptures entitled Airborne Allergens/Allergènes Aéroportés was presented at Art-Image in Gatineau in 2016. Large scale textile organs converged with disease words, Ligaments and Ligatures, was shown at Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (Estevan SK, 2020), Ottawa’s City Hall Art Gallery and Edmonton’s Harcourt House (2013). Bergmans’ work has been exhibited at the Ontario Science Centre, Fieldwork, Perth, ON, the Mississippi Mills Textile Museum, Almonte, ON, Stride Gallery +15 Window Space, Calgary, AM, the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles, the Dumbo Arts Festival, Brooklyn. Karina has participated in residencies at the Banff Centre and the Moon Rain Textile Bienniel, Val-des-Monts, QC. She has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and the City of Ottawa. Bergmans’ work has been featured in the Vies des Arts (Quebec), the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Ottawa Magazine Art of Fashion issue and FibreArts. Karina resides in Ottawa, Ontario.

Image: Karina Bergmans, Yay Hay (2021), Installation view: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener + Area (CAFKA) 2021. Photo: David Botros.