Cat’s work explores memory, place, home, and loss through the specificity of the materials they use; their origins, histories, and locatedness. Influenced by Indigenous teachings about good land relations, alongside the deepening climate crisis, Cat’s interest in materiality and place has engendered a focus on more sustainable, accountable, and site-responsive approaches. They seek to develop an art practice that counters the ways that colonialism encourages an extractive, non-relational orientation to land. Originally from Southend, Cat Hart has lived in Vancouver, Canada for 16 years which is acknowledged, and Cat references, as “the unceded and stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səlilw̓ ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.
Influenced by decolonial and queer ecologies, and ecofeminism, Cat’s work is situated within a shift in
some artistic communities towards artistic practices that have lower ecological impacts: alternative
photographic processes, locally foraged clay and glaze ingredients, and low-resolution small-file media as
an alternative to resource-intensive high-resolution streaming. Cat sees this as an opportunity to slow down, explore the ways that the origins of materials and objects evoke meaning, and to celebrate the
unexpected results of site-specific materials.
Cat has a Masters in Communications from Simon Fraser University in Canada, and is completing a
diploma in Fine Arts. For the past ten years, Cat has worked in non-profit communications, translating
social justice and gender-justice legal work for non-legal audiences. They seek to embed their practice in their two homes: Canada and the UK.
Keep up with Cat’s work on Instagram @cathartart
Image credit: Cat Hart
