Art Exhibit: The Ribs of a Place by Doris Purchase

The Ribs of a Place by Doris Purchase 

Exhibition runs from June 6-24 2026

My exhibition titled The Ribs of a Place, is an installation of large "frame ribs" suspended along the walls like an echo from the stage in a former church now transformed into a women’s club, where architecture, body, and community converge.

The ribs function as both structure and metaphor: they are the bars of the heart, suggesting that the true heart of any place lies in its people. Like a rib cage, the space is not fixed but adaptive—its many joints expanding and contracting with breath, with sound, with presence. The Gothic frame of the building—its arches, stained glass, and vaulted ceilings—echoes this anatomy, turning the architecture itself into a body that holds and protects.

In moments of singing, dancing, and gathering, the ribs expand outward, amplifying breath and voice, creating a shared resonance that moves like an echo through the space.

Drawing on the biblical origin of Eve, formed from Adam’s rib, the work reflects themes of partnership, equality, and mutual support, reimagined within a women-centered space built upon the legacy of those who came before. Ribs, as both frame and protector, symbolize continuity and regeneration; to build within this structure is to honour those foundations while allowing the space—and its community—to grow, breathe, and feel at home.

Free public viewings:

• Opening reception: Saturday June 6th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday June 10th from 4:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Or you can view by appointment. Please contact: info@heliconianclub.org