Havoc Hendricks, Laura Hendricks - Less Up, Bless Up
SHOW DATES MARCH 6, 2019 – MAY 31, 2020 ARTIST RECEPTION FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 6-9PM
LOCATION THE ARGO HOUSE 529 25TH STREET, OGDEN UT 84401
Carper Contemporary hosts Provo artists Havoc and Laura Hendricks at The Argo House for a pop up exhibition featuring Laura’s surreal photographic landscapes and Havoc’s minimalist mountain paintings. The husband and wife duo present an entirely new body of work for LESS UP, BLESS UP, an exhibition that references the artists’ collective decision to simplify their lives – from imposed religious obligations to frivolous materialism - and the ultimate creative freedom they experienced from doing so. Aesthetic decisions in both artists’ work visually reference this ideology, as excess elements and over complicated techniques are stripped away to reveal their work and inspiration in its purest form. An Artist Reception for this event will be held onFriday, April 3rd during Ogden’s First Friday Art Stroll from 6-9pm.
“Bravely and honestly, we considered what truly added value to our lives and the lives around us, which ended up in a massive overhaul of our belief system,” says Laura Hendricks of the show’s theme. “This work represents that time in our lives when we decided to simplify. Because the second we lessed up, we definitely blessed up.”
It was during this era of minimizing and prioritizing that Laura and Havoc made the decision to leave the Mormon religion they were raised on, which coincided with the commitment to pursue their art careers full time. “Our time was opened up to things that brought a lot of joy, healing, progression and discovery,” says Laura. “For us – we couldn’t have become full-time artists with the expectations that were put on us, there was just no room for it.”
As their art careers progressed with commercial representation and collector relationships, Laura and Havoc began pressuring themselves to evolve their work and techniques – often to the point of anxiety. “It was similar to what we had felt in our personal lives,” says Laura. “We felt like people had expectations for our work, and that we were imposing expectations on ourselves.”
Laura and Havoc’s latest work for LESS UP, BLESS UPreflects a pared down aesthetic indicative of the artist’s most recent efforts to reign in their studio practice and re-evaluate creative intentions. Again, the artists made the decision to simplify, removing outside expectations and creating solely for the joy of the process and origin of inspiration. As a result, they’ve strengthened their techniques and re-ignited artistic inspiration. In this sense, LESS UP, BLESS UP represents the artist’s plight to push personal limits in the studio in order to succeed professionally, while also staying true to their intentions and values as creators.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Laura Hendricksis a photographic artist currently living and working in Utah. Most of her current work involves creating surreal photo collages by combining different landscapes to form one image. The end result is often otherworldly but almost always believable. Her work for LESS UP, BLESS UPis largely inspired by her mixed media series, The Stay.
Havoc Hendricksis a Utah artist whose work represents the complex patterns found throughout nature, delivered through a minimalist perspective. He has worked on custom projects around the world with interior designers, art consultants, the surf/skate/snowboard industries, graphic designers and more. He has been commissioned for murals in Jackson Hole, Salt Lake City’s The Gateway, Park City private residences, and others.
