Portrait
Kate Holcomb Hale (b. Buffalo, NY) is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in greater Boston, MA. Kate's practice uses sculpture, painting, video and craft to call attention to architecture and objects that perform care. Collapsing kitchen tables, knotted handrails and twisting ladders act as vehicles to consider vulnerability, futility and the invisible labor of caregiving that occurs in domestic and public spheres. This body of work was conceived after a period of intense caregiving in which she lost her mother, father and brother in quick succession. The experiences required Kate to confront systems of care and question who carries the weight when support systems fall short or are nonexistent. Through the act of sewing her work brings flexibility to the rigid, built environments we inhabit. Grief is embedded in each bruise-like mark and gesture she paints onto cotton, which she later sews into pliable sculptures. Her installations combine playful colors, softness, familiar forms and humor to create receptive spaces for empathy and healing. While Kate's work is often personal, it reimagines how we can soften and modify our built world to accommodate our most vulnerable members of society and ease the load of care work.
