Image: Kelowna Art Gallery
‘Forest’ presents ceramic sculptures, photography, and moving imagery by Fern Helfand, exploring the uneasy coexistence of destruction and beauty following the devastating 2023 wildfire in West Kelowna.
Two and a half months after the anxiety and fear of the devastating 2023 wildfire in West Kelowna, Helfand entered the burned forest near her home.
There, she encountered a topography transformed by the disaster and was struck by the paradoxical beauty of the charred trees. Their sculptural forms and stark tonal contrasts revealed a terrain that was evidence of ecological loss but also of rebirth and quiet resilience.
The exhibition combines photography, moving imagery, and ceramic sculpture as Helfand explores the uneasy coexistence of destruction and beauty.
In ‘Forest,’ Helfand has observed the altered woodland as possessing unexpected visual complexity.
