It’s finally here! My exhibition Architect of Dreams is coming up next week at Madeline Gordon Gallery, Launceston (TAS). So thrilled to share with you this new body of work inspired by reclaiming identity, finding oneself again and dreaming about possibilities. I’ve worked so hard this year on these etchings and exploring new colours and themes. It’s been a real breakthrough in my practice.

Below is my artist statement for the exhibition and the etchings:

A R C H I T E C T O F D R E A M S

An exhibition of reflective etchings by Australian

contemporary printmaker, Kate Piekutowski

Motherhood is a beautiful thing. I’ve devoured this role, engulfed its beauty and cherished it entirely. But there is a moment perhaps at the 18th month mark where I look at myself in the mirror and can’t recognise the person staring back. This isn’t the first time this has happened in my life, I self-consciously remember it from my teenage years as I heavily apply eyeliner or my university days when I was drinking wine in my studio wondering how on earth I will have a career out of the arts. There is a time when we all look in the mirror wondering how did we get here? How did our journey lead us to this point? This exhibition is about reclaiming identity, finding oneself again and dreaming about possibilities.

Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything.

Maybe it’s about un-becoming everything that isn’t really you,

so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.

Paul Coelho

In many ways, I feel like a door has closed and another has opened. I’m realising that life itself keeps going, changing, evolving, and our choices and decisions slowly shape that path. Maybe travelling isn’t really about the destination after all but rather the journey. I’ve been fascinated by ancient Greek and Roman Gods lately and one that stood out was Roman God, Janus. He was the God of doors and gates, some even believe he was the God of all beginnings. These were metaphorical doors; the gateway between what was and what is to come – transitioning from one period of time to another. This feels like quite an abstract concept but highly relevant to my subject matter in the evolution of my practice. There are many ways to interpret God Janus and he was represented in various ways including life/death, beginning/end, war/peace. Hence his iconic image of two half faces that face away from one another. One faced the past and the other faced the future. He was said to have held a key in one hand to symbolize the protection of doors, gates and other separations and openings. The key also symbolised that a traveller has come to find safe harbour. There are many translations and symbols for Janus but what intrigued me was how he felt so relevant to the cross roads in my life. He provided me with a new interpretation albeit perspective and now a new door has opened.

This exhibition explores romanticised dreams and memories, yearning yet building, constructing a path to alternate perspectives. Previously my inspiration came from artist residencies and travelling abroad. Since having a family, I’m not able to travel as often and I am seeing things through a new lens. Do we need to be somewhere else to see something with our eyes? Perhaps we can simply, quietly, dream and imagine. Inspired by the words of Fernando Pessoa (The Book of Disquiet),

I’ve dreamed a lot. I’m tired now from dreaming

but not tired of dreaming. No one tires of dreaming,

because to dream is to forget, and forgetting does not

weigh on us, it is a dreamless sleep throughout which

we remain awake. In dreams I have achieved everything.

Fernando Pessoa

I fell in love with Pessoa and his deeply nostalgic words when I did an artist residency in Lisbon a few years ago. I resonate with his thoughts, his deep commitment to poetry, regardless of its melancholic tone. In homage to dreams, I’ve incorporated ethereal colours into my latest hand-painted etchings – using ultramarine blue hues, silver leaf, purple and hints of pink. I felt rather brave dabbling with this bright colour palette to emphasise certain elements and objects, exploring imagination and evoking childhood memories. A focus on symbolism has also played an important role such as a hot air balloon representing freedom and liberation, the moon as a feminine symbol and personal evolution, sunflowers portraying resilience and pomegranates as a symbol and motherhood and fertility. This exhibition, Architect of Dreams, has been a personal journey for me and ultimately a quest to dream about what is possible.