Norm and Noeleen

A photographic exhibition by Bernie Harfleet and Donna Sarten where two personal series follow the demise of the artists’ parents and serve as a reminder to viewers of the disempowerment age can bring.

Bernie Harfleet's work is in black and white and records his father Norm (89) over a seven-month period - from his initial cancer diagnosis to after his death. Donna Sarten's colour photographs document her mother Noeleen (85) and her increasing dementia.

Bernie Harfleet and Donna Sarten are artists well used to going outside of their comfort zone to probe their own psyches and social issues. The poignant photographs are heartening in witnessing the determination of these two individuals to maintain some independence by staying in their own homes; however viewers will be simultaneously affected by this look into the inevitable future of humans – that of increasing health issues and death.

Event: Norm and Noeleen floor talk, Saturday 10 October.

Image Caption: Noeleen by Donna Sarten. Norm by Bernie Harfleet.