OM.2023.039 - Christine Heller - USA

OM.2023.039 - collage on panel - 8 x 8 inches - Christine Heller - USA

 

Bio

Christine Heller has created portraits, murals and installations that reflect her concern for social justice, including a 40’ mural depicting the plight of Syrian refugees, in 2016 at SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, NY.

During the pandemic, Heller focused on her own lifelong struggles, culminating in a 2023 exhibition of her graphic memoir, “Father Knows Best”, at Time and Space Limited in Hudson, NY.

Her limited edition portfolio, Women Vote!, which celebrates women’s right to vote, was collected by Smith College, The New York Public Library, Princeton University’s Graphic Arts Collection, Johns Hopkins University, and Vassar College among others.

Statement

The “Who Done-It” Dress from my Family Memoir, aka Rage Pages This is the story of one little girl growing up in America in a seemingly perfect family. Under the appearance of normalcy and order, male family members wielded power, through their expressions of rage, control, and predatory sexual behavior. For decades she internalized them to the detriment of her self-esteem and agency. She came to understand that the distorted projections of her father, uncles and cousins had nothing to do with her. This is a story so common, yet so devastating; the patterns depicted are repeated every day.