Dreamscapes – Jerry Howlett

Jerry S Howlett (b. 1993) is a Dunedin born sculptor.
Stories have been an important part of Howlett’s life, providing hope, inspiration and escapism. They are kindling to the fires of imagination.

Words have the ability to evoke a strong emotional response in someone, with the right words lingering in our memory for years to come. Art is no different; it has a way of speaking to the viewer. A single object or image has the ability to generate its own meaning, its own story.
This is the way Howlett approaches his practice, each work always begins with a story. It might not be the whole story, perhaps just the first word or line, just enough to create that spark of inspiration. Then as the process of making beings, the work takes control, it guides and generates its own narrative. Very rarely does Howlett ever draw a plan for a work, instead the image is held in the mind where it is able grow and change organically. Sometimes there is no distinct image of what the work will look like only the idea, the seeds of what it might become, but once the process of making begins the materials soon discover the shape and form of the piece.

Awareness of current environmental issues is reflected in his current practice, where repurposing old disused materials and items are prioritized over buying new. The process of creating the materials to work with is just as important as making the work itself. It’s the attempt to create something new without adding anymore material to the world; it’s about using what’s already there.
Howlett is currently working in miniature to create new worlds, which are often reflections of our own. These worlds look at the interconnectivity of things, how we see ourselves, others and the world. These works look to give a little bit of hope in a time of constant destruction and chaos, prompting at a need for peace and restoration. He combines many techniques common in model making practices with less conventional methods, mixing natural, found and made objects in the creation of these new worlds.
Dreamscapes, is a series of miniature works, surreal reflections of the world, unburdened by the restrictions and physics of our world. They are windows into dreamlike moments, snapshots frozen in time, preserved.

The miniature scale of the works gives the figures and world a feeling of vulnerability; they are dwarfed by the viewer whose omnipotent presence is like that of an all-seeing eye. The small scale invites the viewers to get in close and intimate with the work, to lose themselves within its surreal world.
Each work containing its own narrative, the series shares themes and ideas, but each piece is its own standalone instalment.

Jerry S Howlett studied at the Dunedin School of Art graduating with a Bachelors Honours Degree in 2016. He is currently the 2019 Artist in Residence at St Hilda’s Collegiate School. He currently lives and works in Port Chalmers.

Previous solo and group exhibitions include:
Cleveland National Art Awards, Otago Art Society, Dunedin (2019); NZ Sculpture On Shore, Fort Takapuna, Auckland (2018); Landfall, Otago Art Society, Dunedin (2018); Hope and Sons Art Awards, Otago Art Society, Dunedin (2018); Hyperbloom, Gallery 13, Port Chalmers (2017); Entity, Gallery 13, Port Chalmers (2017)