SEEING BEYOND

ARTIST: Hondartza Fraga
CURATOR: Court Spencer
DATE: Jul - Oct 2024
VENUE: Eye Room, Leeds

The exhibition Seeing Beyond by Hondartza Fraga marks the culmination of her six-year artistic and academic journey, exploring the intersection of mythology, melancholy, and modern astronomy.

Hondartza is interested in the way we perceive and share knowledge of far away places. Her earlier work delved into maritime history and the allure of deep sea before moving to deep space. Through her PhD research, she explored the symbolic resonance of the planet, historically associated with melancholy, and reimagined it in a contemporary context. The exhibition showcases a diverse array of works, including drawings, photographs and digital mosaics, all reflecting her fascination with seeing beyond the naked eye.

Central to Seeing Beyond is Hondartza’s work with the Cassini raw images, an archive of nearly 400,000 unprocessed photographs captured by the Cassini Space Mission (1997–2017). The inherent flaws and glitches within these raw images captivated her, serving as a metaphor for the "unrefined" potential of materials and processes. This intrigue extended to her use of ink, graphite, and digital printing, pushing the boundaries of traditional artistic media while embracing the imperfections and possibilities of the raw and unpolished.

The title of the exhibition, Seeing Beyond, captures the essence of Hondartza’s inquiry. It reflects her artistic pursuit of understanding through images that transcend natural vision, drawing parallels between deep-sea exploration and the mysteries of the cosmos. Additionally, the title signals a moment of transition, as she completed her PhD and enters a new phase of her artistic career.

Seeing Beyond invites audiences to reflect on humanity's perpetual yearning for discovery, whether in the depths of the ocean or the distant rings of Saturn. It is a celebration of Hondartza’s remarkable body of work and a testament to her ability to intertwine the personal, the mythological, and the scientific into an evocative visual narrative. As she closes this chapter, the exhibition serves as a stepping stone to new horizons, promising exciting developments in her practice.