Playground focuses on young children, on being small and feeling small both physically
and psychologically. The children in the paintings are on the cusp of adolescence, caught
between unselfconsciousness and awareness of their own bodies.

Hugely influenced by film and drawn to media images of adolescent girls who appear both
vulnerable and strong, Hebden says the foundation of her work lies in the fragility of childhood.

“I am captured by the moodiness of film lighting, the long pauses that focus only on a subject’s
face or eyes, the expression pregnant with thought or emotion,” says Hebden. “Being a child is
fun and overwhelming. Children endow their environments with meaning and imagination.
An open field is an opportunity to get lost in the tall grass, an adventure both thrilling and scary.”