Author: artoronto

John Hartman: Ann MacIntosh Duff at Scotch Pine Island, 2, oil on linen, 34 x 36 inches. Image courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery

In the space between the rural North and the urban city, between dusk and twilight, and somewhere between indoors and outdoors, there exists ‘landscapes of the mind’ by Ann MacIntosh Duff. Nicholas Metivier Gallery presents works – some shown also at her Tom Thompson Memorial Art Gallery retrospective in 2007 – spanning six decades of Duff’s sincere paintings and woodcuts.

For as long as Duff has had two studios, she has spent spring and summer in Pointe au Baril, Georgian Bay, and the fall and winter seasons working from her Toronto home studio. Working in the North, Duff dips her paper into the lake to paint sweeping tree filled landscapes and star filled skies while her cityscapes pack signs and skyscrapers into a close foreground. Working only in natural light between dusk and twilight, Duff lays down her compositions quickly capturing not only those transient colours of day allowing the dimming light to inform her pallet, the speed in which she works allows for pathetic fallacy and a loose style.

Ann MacIntosh Duff, Wind Clouds, watercolour on paper, 22 1/2 x 29 3/4 inches. Image courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery

Duff’s still lifes often take place on tabletops or near windows with a sparse collection of objects arranged in no formal order. The objects are charming and seemingly anecdotal in their inclusion, but combined with Duff’s consistent sincerity of style they also feel imbued with personal signification. The places and times produced by Duff are painted from memory, from her experience of both forest and city, of darkening shadows – which she calls ‘the landscapes of the mind’ – achieved in the fluidity of the otherwise unruly medium of watercolour.

Ann MacIntosh Duff, Red Hot Jazz, 1989, watercolour on paper, 25 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches. Image courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery

Ann MacIntosh Duff, Metro Data, 1965, watercolour on paper, 22 x 29 3/4 inches. Image courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery

It is interesting then to consider the reoccurring symbol of the camera – a tool considered for some time to represent scientific documentation, a copy of the world/subject as it is – quite the opposite from a memory. If we now see the flaws in giving the photograph such power, allowing it to be a subjective representation, the camera as a symbol in Duff’s work feels like an object present in her life, but one unused in her painting practice.

Ann MacIntosh Duff, Watching and Thinking, 2006, watercolour on paper, 26 1/4 x 39 1/2 inches. Image courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery

Historical and Contemporary artists with which Duff’s style has been compared include: David Milne (with whom she has exhibited), Peter Doig, and Annie Pootoogook. The heavy, carefully considered line of Milne’s coloured engravings can be seen in the bow of the boat in “Navigator”; Peter Doig’s patches of saturated colour might be gleaned from the few strokes composing dark trees in “Northern Evening”; and Duff’s still life compositions with strong outlines and solid planes of colour with emphasis on specific objects in “Red Hot Jazz” produce similar effects to Pootoogook’s coloured pencil drawings.

Ann MacIntosh Duff, Navigator, 1995, watercolour on paper, 25 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches. Image courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery

Making the natural connections in style between artists reveals that through Duff’s decades of practice her emotional experience of memory, translated through style has remained consistent. Shown at Nicholas Metivier Gallery, some decades of Duff’s work favor print making of northern scenes, some of boldly outlined tables, and other periods represent spectres of experiences, but each of the works communicates the sincere way in which Duff faces these experiences.

Alice Pelot

*Exhibition information: June 23 – July 16, 2016, 2016, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, 451 King Street West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Tue – Sat, 10 am – 6 pm.

July 8 – 10, 2016
Nathan Phillips Square
Hours: Sat 10 am – 8 pm; Sun 10 am – 6 pm

This year’s outdoor exhibition started in the morning with a little rain and then heated up. The 310 artists seemed well prepared. I talked with a few on Friday, the 8th, around noon, just after the opening, and some had already gotten a few sales. They had been worried that the threat of rain might keep people away. There seemed to be a good crowd that were enthusiastically taking to artists.

The new executive director, Anahita Azrahimi, was busy running around with last minute fixes. She explained that the jury had changed and there was more prize money available – over $30,000 this year – plus the addition of the Beer Garden, which I am sure would be appreciated in this heat. It apparently is on the stage of the Square and with the steps becomes a cascading Beer Garden.

There was a variety of works on display this year including lots of crafts as well as contemporary painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, duct tape cityscapes and much more. There were also some informal artist talks & walks.

Many of the artists I talked to had been set up before at the Outdoor Show, one going back as far as 1990. They came prepared and were ready to sell their work. For many artists it is one of the high income times in terms of sales. Last year the show was in September – due to the Pan Am Games using the square for cultural events – so an extra effort was made this year to remind people that it was back in its usual time in July. Artists remember the bad weather and rain of last September.

There were some unique displays such as James Kennedy’s metal laser cut geographical works of the great lakes and different provinces. Mike Hammer’s joyful and colourful paintings drew in visitors for a closer inspection. Artists, such as Nicole Moss and Joanna Gresik, exhibited urban landscapes with a different and engaging approach. Artists, Sarah Carlson and Sarah Hillock, used nature as inspiration in their works which stood out well as skilled and refreshing. Photographer, Sandy Middleton displayed some rural landscapes that were muted and attractive.

James Kennedy

Mike Hammer

Nicole Moss

Joanna Gresik

Sarah Carlson

Sarah Hillock

Sandy Middleton

Tape artist, Emanuel Pavao was happy as he had just sold a work. His colourful pieces use a variety of tape to construct urban street-scapes. Elizabeth Aston’s paper cut outs pinned to paper inside their frame were appealing as well and you also should appreciate the time that both these artists put into creating their work.

Emanuel Pavao

Elizabeth Aston

Ceramic artist, Christopher Reid Flock  had colourful sculptural works that were covered with fabric giving them a different textural appeal. He explained that each year his work changes and he uses the outdoor show to test the public’s reaction to his new work. Aurora Darwin had glass works that were cleverly engaging.

Christopher Reid Flock

Aurora Darwin

A few artists such as Lisa Ng used humour in their work which I always appreciate. Her tongue and cheek work fit the bill. Morgan James work was also quirky and fun. Lucky Jaskson’s wooden cut outs of pop figures were affordable and would make great gifts. She cut them out with a squirrel saw and they stood up on stands.

Lisa Ng

Lucky Jaskson

Outdoor veterans Ross Bonfanti and Stephen Gillberry were happy to be participating again. Bonfanti had a variety of works: some concrete figures and a few wall mounted canvases all with his unique brand of humour. Gillberry reflected that he started at the outdoor show in 1990. Back then there were as many as 700 artists in the show. Landscapes are always a dominant Canadian feature in art and Shannon Dickie’s muted landscapes work well with Nathan Phillips Square’s water and fountain in the background. Artist Laura Culic’s rural landscapes were wonderfully crafted as well.

Ross Bonfanti

Stephen Gillberry

Shannon Dickie

Laura Culic

Matthew Tarini’s small paintings were realistic but excellently executed and with some edge. Keight Maclean’s paintings were dark and appealing and painted with skill. My last stop was at Stephen Perry’s booth and his work with the wind up duck was fun and a good note to depart the show on. I am sure I could have stayed a few more hours exploring artists’ booths and discovering more great and wonderful displays of work.

Matthew Tarini

Keight Maclean

Stephen Perry

Every year the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition gives artists and the art loving public a great opportunity to engage and share their work and love for art. This year was no disappointment and no doubt artists and organizers will both be happy and have a good reason to do so.

Text and photo: Phil Anderson

 

Amy Shackleton in front of her easel. Photo: Julian Brown

Interview with Amy Shackleton (AS) by Emese Krunák-Hajagos (EKH)

EKH: When visiting your exhibition at the Elaine Fleck Gallery in Toronto, I was looking at your large format paintings trying to figure out the technique you used. Then Elaine Fleck explained that it is a unique process, invented by you, called Gravity paintings, since you use gravity to control the flow of paint. When and how did you discover and develop your painting method?

AS: I’ve been shaping my painting method into something unique, that I enjoy for years. I first learnt how to paint with paintbrushes, but it took me longer to discover how to paint without them! It wasn’t easy to stop using the tool I was most comfortable with, but you have to take risks to discover new things.
I started using drips back in 2008 to achieve a natural/organic energy in my work. At that time I used paintbrushes and tape to create the more concrete, architectural elements. As I became more experienced with using gravity to direct the flow of paint, the paintbrush became an unnecessary touch-up tool. It was then I realized with more planning, calculating and layering I could eliminate the use of a paintbrush and tape. This became a challenge that took over three years to master. In 2011 I created my first brushless painting. Now, after years of experimenting with gravity and rotating my canvas, I am able to manipulate where and how each drip will fall. My work evolves with each piece I create. I am still discovering new techniques.

Amy Shackleton, Above Water (New York + Yukon) 2015, acrylic and enamel on canvas, 60″ x 90″. Image courtesy of the artist and Elaine Fleck Gallery

EKH: I also watched the amazing videos, Terraced city and Waterworks (Painting Time-Lapse) showing you during work. You don’t use paintbrush but a special technique that never been used before. Please tell us more about the details of the procedure.

AS: Using squeeze bottles filled with liquid paint I build each painting from the ground up with hundreds of lines and dots. I use string and a level to help predict where each drip will fall and a spray bottle filled with water to manipulate the drips. As in real life construction, the architectural aspects of my work are calculated, measured and controlled in order to assure precise locations of each line. As in nature, the environmental elements are more spontaneous, liquid and organic, relying on gravity’s force.

EKH: Many of your works are large. How is a 50-foot long piece assembled?

AS: My studio is set up to accommodate the creation of large scale works. The maximum diameter I can spin is fourteen feet, but I am able to create larger pieces by using multiple panels. I am currently working on a 53-foot-long piece, which is made up of thirteen interconnected panels. Since my spinning/drip technique requires drying time between layers, I make the best use of my time by working on up to six paintings at once in my studio.

Amy Shackleton,Through the Trees (Toronto + California) 2015, acrylic and enamel on canvas, 45” x 60”. Image courtesy of the artist and Elaine Fleck Gallery

EKH: The subject matter of your canvases are mainly urban landscapes. Did you find your theme first and then develop a suitable painting method for it, or was it in the other way around?

AS: I discovered my theme before I developed a suitable painting method for it. After experimenting with a variety of subjects, I eventually zoned in on urban landscapes because I have a passion for nature and the city. I have always had a soft spot for nature, but my attraction to the city came much later—during my studies at York University in Toronto. That is when I began to realize the environmental benefits of high-density living and I started exploring the relationship between nature and cities.
I explored this theme and experimented with various techniques during my studies at York University. My unique painting method began to emerge in my fourth year and has been evolving ever since.

Amy Shackleton, Recover (New York + Vancouver) 2016, acrylic and enamel on canvas,  35″ x 50″. Image courtesy of the artist and Elaine Fleck Gallery

EKH: Your paintings are mostly realistic cityscapes with elements of abstraction depicted with strong colors. They seem calculated, almost architecturally planned, but still feel somewhat spontaneous. How do you decide on a composition? Do you work from photographs or sketches?

AS: Yes! I’m glad you feel the spontaneity amidst the planned elements of my work. Since I like to experience the places I paint, I travel for inspiration. I take thousands of photographs of urban and natural environments to inspire my digital studies. I use Photoshop to juxtapose my photographs, develop a composition and decide on a colour palette. Once I know exactly where I’m going with the piece I print the computer study and start painting. Since each layer builds on the last, there is little room for error with my technique.

Amy Shackleton, Perched on the Rim (Arizona + Toronto) 2014, acrylic and enamel on canvas, 45″ x 60″. Image courtesy of the artist and Elaine Fleck Gallery

EKH: The introduction for your exhibition at Elaine Fleck Gallery states: “Shackleton’s paintings call to mind the dystopian post-apocalyptic aesthetic but strangely without all the gloom, hinting at rebirth and optimism.” You aim for a new, harmonious synthesis of the urban and the natural world. Do you consider yourself an environmentalist?

AS: I do consider myself an environmentalist. My paintings are intended to portray urban life at its best, demonstrating ways we can work with nature rather than against it. I envision post-industrial worlds where sustainable relationships exist between man and the environment. By exploring the continually evolving approaches to preserving our environment and living more efficiently, I suggest how we can implement innovative solutions for city planning and development with minimal impact on surrounding habitats.

Amy Shackleton, Building Blocks (Toronto + Yosemite National Park) 2014, acrylic and enamel on canvas, 45″ x 60″. Image courtesy of the artist and Elaine Fleck Gallery

EKH: What is coming up for you in the near future?

AS: The Elaine Fleck Gallery will be hosting a solo exhibition of my work this December. Together with the Elaine Fleck Gallery, I am planning a Canada-wide exhibition of my 53-foot-long painting in progress: The Great Canadian LEEDscape. Featuring imagery from each province and territory, this painting explores the natural environment and the recent development of sustainable, LEED-certified buildings from coast to coast. The exhibition is scheduled to debut at Evergreen Brick Works in May 2017 followed by the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington in June 2017. We are in the process of securing additional venues in Western, Northern and Atlantic Canada.

 

Wednesday, July 13, 2016 / 7 – 9:30 p.m.
@ The Rhino Bar and Grill / Cash Bar
1249 Queen St. West, Toronto

Artoronto.ca is an online art magazine that provides an open venue for critical dialogue on the exhibition of contemporary art in Toronto since May, 2011. It contains art reviews and cover issues that are important to the art community of Toronto, showing the diversity in the city’s visual arts scene.

Throughout the last five years artoronto.ca became a major source for articles about contemporary art, artists, visual art exhibitions and the vibrant life of the galleries in Toronto. We have posted more than 17oo articles.

Artoronto.ca has been providing readers with art reviews, artist profiles and much more. We would like to thank our writers, readers and the many artists and galleries that have been the subject of the articles posted online.

We hope that you might join us for a drink as we look forward to another 5 years.

Installation of Kristine Moran at Daniel Faria Gallery from The Boss, The Queen, The Secretary and The Henchman, 2016. Image courtesy of Daniel Faria Gallery

Playgrounds are jungles of swirling energies revealing the raw personalities of the naturally powerful, the observant and the followers.  Kristine Moran’s exhibition of oil paintings, The Boss, The Queen, The Secretary and The Henchman at Daniel Faria Gallery illustrate youthful clique dynamics through her luxurious application of paint.  The shades of magenta, blue, teal and brown are applied so thickly to the canvas that her dragged brush leaves crevices providing texture, depth and movement as the oil glistens. The planes of colour form leathery leaves and smeared paint like make-up samples in fashion magazines compose peering faces.

Kristine Moran, Melee, 2016, oil and acrylic on canvas. Image courtesy of Daniel Faria Gallery

The namesake work of the exhibition The Boss, The Queen, The Secretary and The Henchman (2016) is a series of four paintings descending in size, each with a figure reminiscent of a chess piece. The largest work on the left, the boss, is the only figure with a watchful eye; the figure of the queen appears to be wearing a headdress and an Elizabethan Ruff; the secretary seems to be facing a book or laptop; and the henchman is armed and Janus faced. Any person who has seen Mean Girls (or survived a clique high school themselves) recognizes the powerful force of a self-organized hierarchy as a means for survival. More specifically, Moran’s reference point is William Golding’s Lord of the Flies in which schoolboys organize bureaucracy and perform sacrifice on an otherwise uninhabited island in the name of survival.

Kristine Moran, The Boss, The Queen, The Secretary and The Henchman, 2016, oil and acrylic on canvas, (from left to right)40” x 30”, 35” x 30”, 30” x 24”, 26” x 20”. Image courtesy of Daniel Faria Gallery

Both tropical foliage and silhouette profiles are identifiable in Moran’s paintings. Even so, she turns to techniques of abstract Colour Field painting from the 60s and 70s. Colour Field painters such as Frank Stella used swatches of bold colour to glorify the medium of paint and explored its potential used in repetition. Despite the use of figuration, Moran’s work glorifies paint with vibrant colour, and heavy sweeping brushstrokes. She also uses repetition of form and layering of colour to indicate bureaucratic hierarchy between the figures. Within the painted tropical scene, the profiles either appear vulnerably on the surface as the unaware or as attention seekers while the menacing lurk behind leaves. Her work “Meeting” (2016) is the most straightforward in illustrating how the characters congregate and confront each other within the shallow planes of paint. 

Kristine Moran, Undercover Night, 2016, oil and acrylic on canvas, 60″ x 50″. Image courtesy of Daniel Faria Gallery

Many of Moran’s paintings present surreal scenes in flux between figuration and abstraction inspired in the past by themes of dual personalities and Margaret Atwood’s dystopian worlds. In her exhibition of recent works, The Boss, The Queen, The Secretary and The Henchman, the layers of paint have more solid planes, are less in flux and the figures – when found hiding throughout the paintings – demonstrate relationships not only between imagined attitudes and characters but also between colours in composition.

Kristine Moran, Taking sides, 2016, oil and acrylic on linen, 60″ x 72″. Image courtesy of Daniel Faria Gallery

Alice Pelot

*Exhibition information: Kristine Moran, The Boss, The Queen, The Secretary and The Henchman, Daniel Faria Gallery, June 9 – July 23, 2016, 188 St. Helen’s Avenue, Toronto. Gallery Hours: Tue – Fri, 11 – 6; Sat, 10 – 6 pm.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016 / 7 p.m.
Gallery 1313
1313 Queen Street West, Toronto

Even with a runway the Annual Fantasy Fashion Show at Gallery 1313 felt more like a contemporary art event with wearable art works. The night started later than programmed, but after a false start, an extra long intermission, and substitute MCs, we witnessed the beautiful works of eight designers: LIDIJA, Stephanie Yiu, Mary Dyja, Candida Girling, Mitra Ghavamian, Ashley Bullock, Kassandra Coleman and Justine Latour.

The audience. Photo: Phil Anderson

For the four works by LIDIJA, butterflies were adopted as a metaphor as well as an influence for the flowing, elegant materials. Silver acrylic diamonds adorn the collection titled “Transformation” to represent the strength of a woman. Stephanie Yiu’s four-piece collection, “S.B.L.,” is about wastefulness. Yiu upcycled used materials to make fabric by heating and pressing white plastic bags together and assembled them into haute couture designs. Mary Dyja’s works are more than soft, comforting yarn accessories; they are wearable sculptures that conform to the body through the weight of grains. Rampant burning of fossil fuels in the great Canadian North informed the style of Candida Girling’s regal, flashy work “Petrochemical Feminine Moose-tique.” 

LIDIJA’s design, Transformation. Photo: Phil Anderson

Stephanie Yiu’s four-piece collection, S.B.L. Photo: Phil Anderson

Design by Mary Dyja. Photo: Phil Anderson

Candida Girling’s work, Petrochemical Feminine Moose-tique. Photo: Phil Anderson

In the back courtyard at Gallery 1313 artists Lisa Anita Wegner and Paula John participate in a duet performance “Folie a Deux.” The two women sit behind bars bearing ‘hysterical’ signs, sewing at a communal table and wearing medical gowns. Not only did this performance reference the historical treatment of women labeled as hysterics, it also addressed the traditional female duty of sewing and was well suited to the theme of the event.

Lisa Anita Wegner’s and Paula John’s duet performance, Folie a Deux. Photo: Phil Anderson

Mitra Ghavamian’s dress “Young River” was paraded as a performance down the runway. The model, wearing a headdress and a denim dress the length of the room that was carried by a suited and steampunk goggled assistant. Inspired by yarn bombing street art, Ashley Bullock’s four-piece collection, “Fear of Madness,” was hand crocheted from vibrant and furry yarn composing all aspects of the outfits from head to shoe. Kassandra Coleman’s collection of ‘underwater apparel’ titled “KassieTastic” hold a nostalgic place in the hearts of any person who ever wanted to be a mermaid adorned with beads and tassels. Finally, Justine Latour’s two works, “Au Natural,” contest gender biased censorship laws by adopting angular, architectural structures to both accentuate soft female curves and appear to be uncomfortable confinement.

Mitra Ghavamian’s dress, Young River. Photo: Alice Pelot

A dress from Ashley Bullock’s four-piece collection, Fear of Madness. Photo: Phil Anderson

A dress from KassieTastic series by Kassandra Coleman. Photo: Phil Anderson

Justine Latour, Au Natural. Photo: Alice Pelot

The artworks were designed primarily with the female form in mind, but the designs represent an amazingly wide range of themes and forms ranging from environmentally friendly to personal experience, and from angular to cozy. The event, held in Gallery 1313, was transformed from performance to fashion show with the help of DJ Steintology, and then to an after party at the Cadillac Lounge.

Alice Pelot

Robert Kananaj Gallery is known for its patronage in new installation art forms that address social issues as well as philosophical or poetical thoughts. In its recent exhibition Francesco Albano’s work evokes reverence of art much like Grünewald, who defied the eminence of Renaissance classicism in favour of a realistic gruesome rendering in his painting, as his unique contribution to later-Medieval Central European art. Albano’s work is his internalized experience of our time, where social tensions influence his own conventions, reinterpretations and tradition in art. To have a better understanding of his work I asked him a few questions.

Installation view with Francesco Albano, After Grünewald. Image courtesy of Robert Kananaj Gallery

S.T: As the title of your exhibition, After Grünewald, suggests you take a lot of inspiration from Matthias Grünewald in terms of style and subject matter. What drew you to Grünewald?

F.A: The Isenheim Altarpiece by Grünewald has always been for me a recurrent and obsessive reference; for the past three years it has become a main subject of study for my artistic work.

Rendered in a radical way for the time, Grünevald’s work still resonates. “Francis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation” [Francis Bacon: Logique de la Sensation], a book by Gilles Deleuze, is where I have also drawn inspiration from. Pain and Death are the basic vocabulary of my artistic grammar. I like the description “navigation Á vue”, a French term meaning there is no reference, landmark or equipment while navigating in the unknown or looking for a pathway. I adopt this approach with my artistic practice as a sensory exploration of the Grünewald artworks: step by step, like a sailor, I discover the shores of my own artistic references to guide my journey and find or maybe lose myself in it.

Maria Magdalena of the “Isenheim Altarpiece”, the kneeling figure, faceless, boneless and red-draped – to me she evokes despair.

Today with nowhere to direct the load of society’s and the individual’s sorrow, I set a kneeling figure in a desolate landscape, alone, begging at the foot of an empty scaffold an image of human despair: a crucifixion for our time.

Francesco Albano, After Grünewald, detail, 2016, polyester resin, wax rope, wood, gravel. Image courtesy of Robert Kananaj Gallery

S.T: Grünewald’s works mostly focus on the 2-dimensional painting medium (besides the intricately detailed altarpieces). What was the translation from painting to sculpture like?

F.A: To get started with each of my artworks I use a particular image as reference. Grünewald’s Altarpiece becomes the main source of inspiration for this exhibition’s three-dimensional installations.

The process of making a work of art is important to me, and also the capacity to know the world through touch. In my practice within trust to accidents – unpredictable things that happen during the act of making – I believe that those unforeseen outcomes are the cathartic core of the work. Catharsis through sculpture, through touch – I sculpt what I feel. The hand is the messenger.

Francesco Albano, After Grünewald, detail, 2016, polyester resin, wax rope, wood, gravel. Image courtesy of Robert Kananaj Gallery

S.T: You said that the work was about a blasphemous sort of “desire,” as represented through these dysmorphic bodies. Could you elaborate a bit more on this “desire?”

F.A: For the past few years the concept of skin and bone has been the base in my work: Skin is the first, most important object of desire, of touch; landscape, organ, imprint of the soul, shroud. The skin manifests the psychological symptoms. The Greek philosopher Galen ascribed health and disease to the balance of four humors: “black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood.” Imbalance of the humors was outwardly manifested in the skin. In contrast, the unchanging bones become heretical dissenters, the antithesis of desire.

The impact to human body, being distorted and transformed through torments and illnesses of the soul and the psyche, relate to consuming desire, the suppression or the lack of it.

Francesco Albano, Castaway, details, 2016, polyester resin, wax. Photo: Simon Termine

Francesco Albano, The temptation of St Anthony, detail, 2016, polyester resin, wax, mattress and bed sheets, pillow.  Image courtesy of Robert Kananaj Gallery

Francesco Albano, The temptation of St Anthony, 2016, polyester resin, wax, mattress and bed sheets, pillow, armchair, bungee cords. Image courtesy of Robert Kananaj Gallery

Simon Termine

*Note: The process of making the After Grünewald show became an integral part of the previous exhibition, State of Being, as it was still running, by using a makeshift studio within the gallery that is now part of the exhibition. Working on a tight schedule, Albano created and installed his entire exhibition within a month. Despite unexpected obstacles in finding his accustomed materials in an unfamiliar city, Albano, is now, looking back at his experience in Toronto, as of a happy time. He enjoyed working in his improvised studio, taking coffee breaks with Robert Kananaj, sitting on the bench outside the gallery, exploring the Bloordale neighbourhood on foot, and having opportunities to chat with visitors at the gallery.

Francesco Albano’s workshop atop of Robert Kananaj’s show, State of Being, in May, 2016. Photo: Simon Termine

**Exhibition information: May 26 – July 16, 2016, Robert Kananaj Gallery, 172 St Helens Avenue, Toronto. Gallery hours: Tue – Sat 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Of A Great and Mighty Shadow is Melbourne (Australia) based painter Adam Lee’s solo show debut in Canada, and his paintings are beautifully solemn. Brushed with shades of black and accents of orange, blue, and yellow, Lee’s works possess an eye-catching medley of watercolour-like washes with occasional intricate details (think Peter Doig but with an Australian twist). Interested in the idea of shadows and how they cast over the histories and lives of people, Lee’s paintings tap into imagery from his own family history to bring light to the shadows—and in the process, he creates links between the past, the present, and the future.

Installation view of Adam Lee, Of A Great and Mighty Shadow. Image courtesy of Angell Gallery

The show opens with the colour-splashed painting “The Namesake,” depicting a double portrait of the artist and his late grandfather of the same name. The two faces are turned away from each other, staring into shadows of black and washes of colours. Representing the theme of looking back and looking ahead, this introspective and autobiographical portrait is a precursor of what’s to come.

Adam Lee, The Namesake, 2016, oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 78″ x 65″. Image courtesy of Angell Gallery

Moving forward throughout the show, it’s clear that Lee not only wants to create links between the past, present, and future, but does so through mobilizing the concept of death. For instance, the painting “Of A Great and Mighty Shadow” portrays a funeral-embalming scene, an instance where two worlds—the physical present and the anticipated divine future—meet.

Adam Lee, Of A Great and Mighty Shadow, 2016, oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 98″ x 79″. Image courtesy of Angell Gallery

Likewise, “Threshold” depicts the front gate of Lee’s father’s childhood home, symbolizing a point between past and present (the death of the past, the mundane of the present). Then there’s the piece “The Great Cloud,” featuring six ominous orange faces that resemble the Grim Reaper himself (dead bodies of the past, ghostly spirits of the present?), looming in and out of a black cloud of paint.

Adam Lee, Threshold, 2016, oil and synthetic polymer paint on paper, 41″ x 30″ (left) and The Great Cloud, 2016, oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 43″ x 29″ (right). Image courtesy of Angell Gallery

Lee’s paintings highlight loss—the loss of life, the loss of the past. The dark and gloom-ridden atmosphere that his works generate greatly complements the overarching shadow that Lee seeks to emulate, to explore. Surrounded by ominous paintings with titles like “Mourner,” “Altar,” and “All the Tears and All the Seed,” the viewers easily find themselves walking through a sea of darkness, a solemn space. 

Adam Lee, All the Tears and All the Seed, 2016, oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 26″ x 18″. Image courtesy of Angell Gallery

But thus, there is light. The show’s centerpiece work, “Zim Zum (Three Tabernacles),” depicts a family of three (with mom clad in Blundstones) standing underneath an overarching rainbow. Though debilitated in form—represented by three scraggly thin bands—this rainbow, however sad, generates light in a show of darkness. Placed at the center of gallery, the rainbow of “Zim Zum” seems to persistently glow among a sea of dark works. Symbolically, this is exactly what Lee needed to drive his concept home—this light that emerges from the shadows literally signifies an arch or bridge linking the past and present; the past and the future.

Adam Lee, Zim Zum (Three Tabernacles), 2016, oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 86″ x 132″. Image courtesy of Angell Gallery

Emily Lawrence

*Exhibition information: June 3 – July 2, 2016. Angell Gallery, 1444 Dupont St., Unit 15, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 12 – 5 pm.

 

The Sculptors Society of Canada celebrated their Twenty-first Annual Juried Graduating Sculpture Student Exhibition on Thursday, June 9th. This year there were thirty-nine submissions from seven different institutions that were whittled down to twelve works by the trio of jurors. The jurors were: Gallery 1313 executive director Phil Anderson, independent curator Joshua Burston, and artist J.Mac.

Participating artists (from left to right): Melanie Billark, Anna Ho, Kristina Guison, Rouzbeh Akhbari, Cameron Auld (first row); Jakub Plewa and Laurie-Lynn McGlynn (second row)

The evaluation was ‘blind’ since there was no discerning information of the applicants other than their images submitted on CD and their artist’ statement. With the installation complete, three prizes were awarded. Rouzbeh Akhbari from OCAD University won the A & M Green Charitable Award with his impressive works, “Institutional Stabilizer I” and “Institutional Stabilizer II.” His meticulously constructed works deal with stability and colonial power by using reconstructed wood from shipping pallets.

Rouzbeh Akhbari with Institutional Stabilizer II, reclaimed wood / fork lift, 115 x 160 x 97 cm

Kristina Guison, also of OCAD University, won the Artcast Inc Sculpture Award for her work “Displacement” which emotes the way we are moved physically and emotionally in our travels from one establishment to another.

Kristina Guison and her work Displacement, steelsheets, steel rods, chains, 77 x 260 x 70 cm

Jakub Plewa of York University with his work ‘STUD’ won the MST Bronze Ltd Sculpture Award. Comprised entirely of framing nails, the structure evokes irony of material and mass.

Jakub Plewa with STUD, 3.25″ steel nails, 240 x 8 x 4 cm

Congratulations to Laurie-Lynn McGlynn (University of Waterloo), Anna Ho (York University), Cameron Auld (Fanshawe College) and Melanie Billark (OCAD University) for their submissions.

Laurie-Lynn McGlynn in front of her work, Hospital Corners, metal mesh, latex paint, 50 x 140 x 22 cm

Anna Ho with Exchange, black yarn, 45 x 40 x 30 cm

Cameron Auld with his sculpture, Hunter Be Hunted, mixed media, 228 x 157 x 112 cm

Melanie Billark, Sanctuary, clear acrylic, found moss/soil/rocks/canvas, 200 x 210 x 50 cm

It was a difficult decision for the jurors with such terrific work.

Text Joshua Burston. Photo: Peter Wirün

*Exhibition information: June 9 – 29, 2016, Canadian Sculpture Centre, 500 Church Street. Gallery hours: Tue – Fri: 12 – 6, Sat: 11 – 4 p.m.

Nature in its constant evolution is adapting to new environments either to abide by it or oppose it. Oftentimes, pre-existing forms and methods must assume new characteristics: vines and weeds will begin to expand into the tiniest of crevasses in walls and walkways, smaller animals learn to avoid roads in fear of incoming traffic, tree roots will grow into plumbing for consistent sources of water, just to name a few examples. Likewise, human innovation often draws from nature as its inspiration, since it embodies aesthetic and functional perfection. Nevertheless, despite the seemingly conflictual relationship between the natural and synthetic realms, there still remains a latent connection between the two.

Zachari Logan, Human Heart Made of Plants, 2016, pastel on black paper, 20″ x 26″. Image courtesy of Paul Petro Contemporary Art

Zachari Logan’s exhibition, Forgotten Selves, focuses on the unconscious relationship that exists between the individual, and by conjunction mankind, and nature. In addition, there is a hidden awareness within nature that is exemplified through the presence of plant life – with its simultaneous dormancy and vitality – which, according to George Gessert, “are reminders of the structures that sustain consciousness.”  Logan utilizes pastel and pencil to create brilliantly elaborate patterns, depicting woven flowers, branches, and vines. Through a combination of vibrant, naturalistic colors and careful arrangement of the subject matter, his works are cleverly represent nature or internal bodily systems that they are named after. For example, the largest work in the exhibition, entitled “Pool 1,” displays a busy assortment of colorful flora, intertwined as if they were a single continuous organism, within an ovular ring of light. The composition appears to mimic microscopic views of cells and/or its various mechanisms. It is the use of motifs of living things to display the intricacies of life that frequently remain elusive: our forgotten selves.

Zachari Logan, Pool 1, 2016, pastel on black paper, 92″ x 60″. Image courtesy of Paul Petro Contemporary Art

In addition to this exhibition, Zachari Logan will be conducting a performative drawing event on Saturday, June 25th, where up to forty-nine members of the audience will chose a flower and have a fifteen minute portrait done in support of the recent Orlando crisis. The portraiture will begin at 2 pm of that day and will extend into the evening.

Zachari Logan, Wild Man 13, Flora, 2016, blue pencil on Mylar, 22″ x 29 1/2″. Image courtesy of Paul Petro Contemporary Art

English Breakfast by Morley Shayuk is a collection of small abstract paintings, accompanied by a gesso sculpture, that re-examines the original functions and aesthetics of organic structures.

Morley Shayuk, Untitled, 2016, driftwood, stucco and gesso, 9″ x 15″ x 22 1/2″. Image courtesy of Paul Petro Contemporary Art

To contrast the realism of Zachari Logan, Morley Shayuk utilizes a painterly style characterized by its soft contours, faded colors, and expressionistic forms. As such, the works appear fluidic and transformative, with any representative qualities slowly dissolving into abstraction. Consequently, this conveys a sense of dynamism and spontaneity that is pleasing to look at.

Morley Shayuk, Untitled, 2016, oil on Masonite, 18 1/2″ x 14″. Image courtesy of Paul Petro Contemporary Art

By reinterpreting these organic shapes with this distinctive style, “the themes of nature become ornamental, objectified, and controlled through experimental and time based working methods.” Shayuk approaches nature more pragmatically, simplifying natural elements to portray the exuberant energy they possess while seeking to contain them within the composition.

Morley Shayuk, Night, 2016, oil on canvas, 24″ x 32″. Image courtesy of Paul Petro Contemporary Art

Zachari Logan and Morley Shayuk explore the complexities of nature, examining its potential connections in itself, between other organisms, and within a societal context, with juxtaposing approaches in both theme and style.

Simon Termine

*Exhibition information: Zachari Logan, Forgotten Selves & Morley Shayuk, English Breakfast, June 3 – July 2, 2016, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, 980 Queen St West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sat, 11 – 5 p.m.

The sunlight-filled General Hardware is showing two solo exhibitions: Alexander Irving’s Readings and Phase by Paul Collins. Both artists exhibit works with minimal palettes, diverse mediums, and repetition. 

Installation view with Alexander Irving, Charos 1, 2, 3 and 4

During the last few exhibitions, General Hardware has chosen the strongest and most eye-catching pieces to be the first works that greet the gallery’s visitors. Its visibility from outside the building works as an effective lure. Both the Neubauer and Everingham show displayed spectacular paintings at the forefront. Irving’s “Reading the Metamorphosis” is a more intimate piece and needs a closer examination. Visually both the typed-piece and the printed-piece contain merit. The smaller print comprises all the words of the book, overlapped on top of one another, producing illegibility. The big print on the left is an enlarged reproduction of the typed-piece on a bigger piece of paper. At first I pondered about the connection between the transformation of the words into obscurity and the transformation of the character in the Kafka novel. Upon learning, however, that this process of typing all the words of a novel over one another was done with many other novels, this piece lost its possible intimate connection with a specific book. 

Alexander Irving, Reading the Metamorphosis, 2016, ink on paper, 11″ x 14″

Visually, the details in the typed-piece are incredibly eye-catching: the subtle wrinkles, the over-saturation of ink in certain spots, the dimensionality in between the layers of typing, and slight recognition of letters in the edges. The printed-piece attempts to look at a cluster of words not as words but as a one-dimensional graphic, erasing the narrative that exists between the letters. The experimentation of crowding the letters and the pure visual quality of them have produced a rich surface. Just looking at the work it does not particularly important where the letters come from, only the title tells us the original source.

Alexander Irving, Reading the Metamorphosis, 2016, ink on paper, 11″ x 14″ (detail)

Irving’s work by the bookcase, “Odysseus,” is another piece that seemingly requires previous literary knowledge. Without it, there really is not enough visual intrigue for the piece to exist on its own. Comparatively, this piece is more esoteric than Irving’s Metamorphosis pieces. It is a paper embossed about a dozen times with the word “Odysseus”, with one of them painted blue. The age-old debate of ‘how much education or background knowledge must art require’ surfaces here. Must I read a collection of Greek mythologies to appreciate this piece? One could argue that a successful work of art is one that both appeals to the popular and the niche audiences, which I feel that Collins’ show has successfully accomplished. Not only are his paintings visually fascinating, a deeper undertaking could result in an analysis of the connection between his black lines and the moiré pattern. 

Paul Collins, Phase 4, acrylic on linen,  46″ x 35″ (left) and Phase 5, acrylic on linen,  46″ x 35″ (right)

Phase displays seven paintings of the identical size and palette. He works primarily with black, yellow, and white. These intensely graphic and powerful pieces are able to establish an interesting sense of dimensionality. The depth from the zig-zagging black strips is countered by their abrupt end right before the edge. Bright yellow emanates from behind the black, which, from its thick direct applications, resembles records, or rich strands of hair. 

Paul Collins, Phase 15, acrylic on linen, 46″ x 35″

Collins’ obsession with different black hues are extended further downstairs, where he shows a print that contains horizontal black strips painted over one another. The different qualities of the black – tints, gloss, matte, and opaqueness – results in a fascinating study of the colour.

Paul Collins, Phase, 2014, limited edition of 12, archival paper, 22″ x 30″

Also contained in his exhibition is the launch of his book “Vent”, a collection of images depicting industrial vents, and a video that consists of a gently moving vent, and a misleading audio of birds.

Both artists are concerned with their respective obsessions, one of words and one of a specific horizontal form. Delving into these obsessions is an indulgent experience both for the eyes and the mind.

Text and photo: Sunny Kim

*Exhibition information: Alexander Irving, Readings & Paul Collins, Phase, June 4 – July 8, 2016, General Hardware Contemporary, 1520 Queen Street West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sat 12 – 6 pm.