Living Landscape - 2009 Dressed open-air “set” located in Farmer Ashmore Reesor's Field
Heather Rigby is an interdisciplinary artist working at the interstice of environment, art, and culture. Her practice bridges the geography of the land with extended communities through site-specific installations, activism, and social media. Rigby’s work explores the mysteries of perception, positioning the body as a vessel for a deeper awareness of our interconnection with all life. This approach invites an understanding of the natural world’s boundlessness, whether within urban or natural landscapes. Her art encourages viewers to reimagine their perception of space, fostering a reciprocal dialogue between the empathetic and the art object. In this space, lived experience and form merge seamlessly.
Based in Claremont, Ontario, Heather Rigby holds a Master’s degree in Visual Art, with further research in Cultural and Environmental Studies from York University. Her unconventional explorations began as a teenager, initially through Rinzai Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, and have continued as part of her ongoing search to understand the “Nature of Mind.” Her research also delves into Eastern philosophies, shaped by extensive travel to over fifty countries worldwide. Rigby’s current art practice reveals the empowering energy of symbols, often through land art (including large-scale field drawings), videography, and installation art. She has taught at colleges and universities in Ontario and Nunavut and exhibited her work in Canada, Italy, and Japan.
