32 - 2024 Painting

Artist Bio “My work is about allowing uncensored access to feelings of grief and loss, joy and peace, broken and whole, without attachment to anything specific. It's before language, beyond thought.” The Influence of Danish Heritage Kat Noonan was born in 1961 in Canada to a German father and a Danish mother. Following her parents' divorce in 1970, she relocated to Denmark with her mother, older sister, and two younger brothers. Initially, Kat was unfamiliar with her mother's family and struggled with the Danish language. The family's challenging circumstances were further compounded when, just a few months after their arrival, Kat's six-year-old brother tragically passed away in a traffic accident. Consequently, the family moved back to Canada and returned to Denmark about a year later. Kat's early life was marked by chaos and frequent transitions between schools. Upon settling in Denmark, Kat and her sister enrolled in school where they dedicated themselves to learning Danish. The initial culture shock gradually faded, and their memories of Canada became more distant. Kat Noonan's artistic sensibilities have been deeply influenced by her Danish heritage, particularly the renowned emphasis on design and the integration of form and function. During her early adulthood, Kat experienced a period of struggle and adjustment. In pursuit of self-discovery, she embarked on a journey, to visit her father in Canada. It was during this time that she met her future husband. After returning to Denmark, Kat enrolled in a local art school in 1991. Although initially more inclined towards poetry, Kat discovered a passion for drawing and painting. The art school provided her with an education in various disciplines, such as classical drawing, live figure drawing, and blind contour. After three years at art school, Kat relocated to Canada, where she married and began her independent journey as a painter. A Fusion of Danish and Japanese Minimalism In 1999, Kat and her husband lived in Japan for a brief time. Although she may not have been fully aware of it, she absorbed both the similarities and differences between Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics, which would later emerge in her work. Following a profound loss in 2010, Kat stopped painting. That lasted a decade. When she returned to her art in 2021, her style evolved into a unique fusion of Danish and Japanese minimalism.