Curios About: ImagineHareium by Sandra Schoene

Artist Sandra Schoene wants us to reawaken the sense of wonder we had as children. She made a giant hare to help us. And to help the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation’s citywide Hares on the March event.

ImagineHareium
By Sandra Schoene
Fiberglass/acrylic paint, 3 ft tall

1. This work is about . . . This is about a hare, my “ImagineHareium” and the wonderland in my head which I have tried to project onto this unusual canvas. It’s about a twinkle in your eye, a sparkle of fairy dust and a bit of magic. The Hares on the March campaign (run by the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation) is a unique art display where 110 hares can be found in the city. Check this website for details.

2. I made this work because . . . For me I think, anything is possible at any age, with any limitation that we may be born with. We should nourish love, trust, friendship, and be true to ourselves, then we can face what we are destined to do – in our reality, our dream, our own wonderland. When I read the project brief, I knew it was for me! Being an aspiring illustrator with a quirky style, a LOT of imagination and a supporter of any good cause, I was super thrilled when they selected my proposal for a hare.

3. I hope when people see this work they will . . . The question I would like to put to the audience is: can we travel back to our childhood, and reawaken that sense of wonder we possessed when we were younger and free to imagine whatever we liked? I want to invite people to discover their inner Alice by following the imagery around the hare, inventing their own story of what they see. People can adopt or bid for any of the hares, too, in an online auction.

4. In terms of art history, this work . . . For centuries, the hare has been a symbol of many things: madness, genius, luck, protective powers, magical powers, a union of opposites, mystery and contradiction. It is also associated with Easter, the moon, dawn and transformation. I often take inspiration from stories such as Alice in Wonderland, classic childhood fairy tales, artists like Dalí and Tim Burton.

5. You can see my work . . . The hare is being displayed at the Conrad Hotel, Dublin for the duration of the Hare Trail. Find me on Facebook, or on Pinterest/Twitter @SchoeneSan.

Curios About is a series featuring works by Dublin artists, curated for us by our friends at the Square in the Circle blog, and hosted there as well as here.

Each artist is asked to submit an image of one work and answer a set of questions about it. We’d love it if you’d submit something you’ve made.