If you aren’t yet familiar with Gherdai Hassell’s art, next month would be a good time to see it.

Threads Unravelling opens at the Bermuda National Gallery on October 1.

“I've actually been working on a series called Onion Spawn and it pretty much looks abstractly at what it means to be Bermudian, investigating the onion and looking at different layers,” Ms Hassell said.

“I just felt like it was time to bring those works to Bermuda. I have been exhibiting them overseas — I had an exhibition showing some of those works in the UK in two separate exhibitions [but] because the work is about Bermuda by a Bermudian I felt now was the time to bring that work back home, where I feel it's actually meant to be.”

The show consists of “sculptures and works on paper” inspired by Nellie Musson’s 1979 book, Mind the Onion Seed.

As described by the BNG, Threads Unravelling “examines the contribution of Black Bermudian women from the days of slavery, when ‘the onion was to Bermuda what cotton was to America’, to the present day”.

Its opening simultaneously launches Bermuda’s first Art Month. In celebration, Ms Hassell will give a talk about “her creative process, inspirations and stories behind [her] works”.

People familiar with her art have been very supportive.

“It's been amazing. People have reached out to me, e-mailing me, messaging me on social media … . So yeah, the feedback has been really great. Honestly, I've been overwhelmed with the amount of support and generosity from people sharing kind words about the work. I'm super, super excited about that.”

Added to all that is the “incredible and humbling” honour of receiving an award from the antiracism group Curb. Ms Hassell was selected for Traces and Pastimes, her 2021 exhibit at the National Museum of Bermuda that explored “ancestry, cultural identity, memory and time”.

“I actually am sad I'm not going to be staying home longer because the award is going to be given at the end of October. I'm not going to be there to accept that but I'm going to send family and friends in to accept the award on my behalf.

“It totally came as a surprise. But it's essentially the Dr Eva Naomi Hudson Racial Justice Award. And it says that the award recognises individuals whose efforts have made a profound impact on promoting racial equality. For me it's just really humbling to be recognised by an organisation that is not art-related at all, in my mind. I'm truly honoured and overwhelmed by this.”

When she started out, Ms Hassell “had doubts” about pursuing art as a career but convinced herself to “give it a try and then see how it goes”.

She’s glad she did.

“I get to wake up every day and do what I love. This is my passion and something that I feel is closely related with my purpose. And so, it's just, it's wonderful that years in I'm starting to get some recognition for some of the work that I've been doing.

“But honestly, those things are just the cherry on top. It's literally just the fact that I can wake up and do what I love that really drives me every day.”

Although Bermuda is always at the centre of her work, the cost of producing art here makes living on the island impractical for Ms Hassell.

“It is so hard because I'm making work about Bermuda so, ideally, it would be great for me to be able to have a studio there. But I think the economic climate and environment in Bermuda is not really conducive to me being able to have a viable studio practice [compared with] in the UK where I have access to inexpensive art supplies. Everything is so expensive in Bermuda.

“Although I'm not there making the work, the fact that the work is always about Bermuda no matter where it is in the world, I think is a beautiful thing. To be able to spread the onion juice is amazing.”

Attempting to do that has made it a busy year for Ms Hassell, who has committed to making sure she exhibits her work in Bermuda every year so “people at home can engage with it”.

Since 2021 she has shown her work in a solo exhibit at the Bermuda National Gallery and in its Biennials.

Her art has also gone on display at the National Museum of Bermuda and in the Charman Prize held by the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art.

“Next year, I'm actually having a solo exhibition with Masterworks as well,” she said. “So I'm committed to being at home even though my practice is not based at home.”

Work outside Bermuda has contributed to what has been a “hectic crazy” year. Last week, Ms Hassell was at an art residency in Upstate New York preparing for an exhibit there in December. She’s also part of an exhibit called Cosy, featuring work by a group of Black women that will open in London, England next month.

“It's about being comfortable in your skin. And so that's a super exciting exhibition that I'm excited to be a part of.”

Come December, she will have had three solo shows in 2023 — a feat she described as “insane”.

“Usually artists only do maybe one solo exhibition a year. It's just been overwhelming and exciting and it's challenged me.

“Before I used to mostly just paint and collage but now I'm venturing into textiles. It's slowed down my process a lot because sewing is really labour-intensive. It’s deep work. It's a very slow process but, interestingly, I'm doing more things.

“There's this sort of interesting space that I'm in, where the opportunities are here and ever present; the work has really taken on a new face. I'm excited about everything to come.”

• Threads Unravelling is on at the Bermuda National Gallery from October 1 through March. For more information, visit bng.bm/exhibition/threads-unravelling. For more on Art Month, visit www.gotobermuda.com/things-to-do/events/art-month