The final leg of Helen Clara Hemsley’s residency at the NSA Gallery will culminate in an installation of works produced during her visit to Durban. The exhibition, which runs from July 10 to 28, investigates concepts of being here, there, connected, disconnected, re-connected, knowledge, memories and stories. Durban sets the scene for this project, as an exploration of relationships – to South Africa, Clara’s friends and family, her past.

Through a series of interactions with Durban artists and old friends, she will use this raw material as the basis of an installation. Working in this manner, she hopes to re-evaluate place, placeless-ness and belonging. For the past year Clara has communicated via email with two Durban artists: Georgia Kotretsos and Liza du Plessis – exchanging stories, a kind of ongoing conversation.

With Clara’s arrival in Durban these artists would meet for the first time and also make work together – based on their past exchange. These collaborations will be based on ideas formed about each other, whether fictional or biographical, thus creating portraits.

Clara Hemsley completed a BA Honours in Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art and had numerous exhibitions in Copenhagen and Glasgow. The most recent exhibitions include Art in a Toilet, Art in a Fridge, Spine and Free for two Days.