Signs and Specters

January 27, 2012

Every age has its spirit. Germans refer to this as Zeitgeist, or the spirit of a time. Ghost hunting in one’s own time can be a thrilling and elusive pursuit. Cultural activities tend to yield signs marking broader social, economic and political currents. For the sensitive observer of contemporary culture, these markers create an impression of society as a whole.    

During these chilled days, my mind turns to the searing heat of the concrete heart of Toronto during mid-July. This is when the annual Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (TOAE) takes place onNathan Phillips Square. It’s here that one can see a vast variety of art with an array of material, formal and conceptual approaches. This annual weekend show shares all the best traits of an energetic marketplace and dynamic forum of ideas. In this regard, not too much has changed over the exhibition’s half-century history. Look closely, however, and you’ll notice degrees of difference every year.

Something interesting was at play on the Square this past year. With over three hundred artists showing their individual studio production, some patterns seemed to emerge. From a material perspective, many artists were sealing their works with a highly reflective coating. Now, glossy paintings have been around for many years, but this year they were in great supply. As for demand, patrons were buying. This raises the questions: do the optical properties of art share parallels with economics? Does the appeal of lustre and sheen fluctuate along with market trends?

What I found most compelling were the themes and motifs explored by artists, particularly younger participants. Landscapes are a perennial and fitting favorite at any outdoor show. A critical mass of artists instead turned to the cityscape as their subject-matter. These weren’t images of metropolitans teeming with people, but rather haunting urban environs evacuated of its populace. Paintings, drawings and photos documented the textures and beauty of depopulated inner-city decay.

If the human elements eluded the cityscapes, they turned up in another, curiously concealed form. People disguised as animals. This was a prominent metaphor that could be noticed at dozens of artists’ booths. I particularly enjoyed following this brand of shape-shifting. Fauna adopted human traits to an effect that ranged from waggish illustrations to Aesop-style morality plays. I can still picture the cunning fox dressed in an Armani suit and a sinister wolf strutting on his hind legs. This type of attribution of human characteristics called anthropomorphizing, pointed to a deeper order in our collective consciousness.                         

Those are some impressions that resonate half a year later. I’ve seen the TOAE from both sides: as a participating artist and visitor to the Square. Some individuals produce art, but most observe it. If you consider yourself the former, take a step back from your production and think of how it’s situated in a broader context. You’ll be surprised at the synchronicities that are out there. Next time you’re at a cultural event or gallery–look for the signs and specters, they’ll be there.

A variation of this article appears in-print in the current issue of Surfacing magazine.

Fun in the Sun

Year in Review

December 31, 2011

As the closing credits of 2011 roll, it’s time to survey the year that was. Overall, it was a banner year;  one that saw our team efforts really congeal. We experienced an unprecedented reach of ideas and skill sets. I think back to the knowledge that was imparted to us through the exhibitions that were featured at the gallery.

Brendan Fernandes’ exhibition early in the year, gave a glimpse into life-paths reaching from his Goan homeland to his Nairobi birthplace. The poignant women’s narratives that accompanied Jane Eccles’s “Dress Painting” series were featured on the Toronto Star’s front page. Her monumental project was truly a 2011 highlight, well deserving of the DACTA Jane was honoured with. Kira Varvanina and Edward Lin’s installation was a scintillating addition to the “Unstationary Station” exhibit in the summer. Another artist duo, Ibghy & Lemmens, created visual representations of exchange and desire. The large group exhibitions also had a exhilarating array of material production. Earlier in the year, the Uxbridge artists collective showcased their diverse approaches to art making. And to round the year out, local area artists responded to the theme of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. In looking back, I feel so lucky working with visual culture and the vast spring of knowledge it imparts. It’s the best job in the world! Happy New Year!

Countdown to 2012

The Rules of the Game

December 16, 2011

As the year rounds out, the ever-popular annual members’ show is on display at Station Gallery. For the 19^th year, the gallery highlights the best that our creative and talented membership has to offer. The development of this year’s show was particularly satisfying to watch. You may recall earlier this summer, an on-line poll determined the supreme theme. Rock, Paper, Scissors ruled.

There was something about this trio of nouns that proved more tangible than previous ones. The artists’ responses were amazing.

Now, many will be familiar with the rules of this hand game of chance. I personally need a little more time to wrap my head around what wins in a game of RPS. We all know that scissors beats paper, because the scissors cut paper. We are also aware that rock beats scissors because the rock breaks the scissors. That’s easy. But, I’ve never been able to figure out how paper beats rock. I guess they say that a paper can cover a rock—so much for the rocks being used as paperweights. Anyways, those are the rules for me to figure out. I’m two thirds of the way there.

Drop by and check out the show. And don’t forget to vote for your fave in our Rock, Paper, Scissors: It’s your choice! people’s choice award.

Santa visits the Gallery

Northern Lines

December 2, 2011

Lines are pointing north as a new drawing gallery recently opened in North Bay, Ontario. I had the great pleasure of being part of Line Gallery’s inaugural show a few weeks ago. The gallery’s mandate focuses on discourses around Canadian drawing. Here’s an excerpt from a discussion that’s just begun…

Line Gallery–Why drawing? Why do you think you came to focus on drawing as opposed to another medium?

Olexander Wlasenko–Drawing is eternal. It’s ancient. When one thinks of the earliest forms of visual communication, thoughts turn to lines drawn in the sand or other kinds of mark-making. When I participate in drawing, I feel as though I’m in touch with something primordial. I feel I’m in commune with the infinite. It’s a contemporary feeling.   

LG–Are there any artists or experiences that have shaped/influenced your practice? 

OW–I’ve been fully immersed in art and artists’ experience my entire life. My earliest memories of visual art were at home. My father was an untrained artist and many of his pictures were on the walls at home. It was sort of ”do-it-yourself” decor for my immigrant parents. I suppose that had a profound impact from an early age. 

Galleries, museums, art history classes followed for decades… My instructors at the post-secondary schools had a big impact. Teachers like Natalka Husar and Cathy Daly at the Ontario College of Art still resonate with me. Margaret Priest at the University of Guelph and Sheila Butler at theUniversity of Western Ontario had a conceptual influence on my studio practice. Then there’s the vast numbers of artists that one is exposed to at school ranging from Gerhard Richter, Jan Fabre, Joseph Beuys and Vija Celmins to Titian and Degas. There’s a world of art.    

For complete interview click here…

Artist talk at Nipissing University, 11/11/11!

 

Go Figure

November 23, 2011

Pictures of people have a way of connecting with viewers. If you get a chance, make a connection with the ROM and check out the Kingston Prize exhibition. This show happens every two years and features the very best of Canadian portraiture and figurative work.

This biennial competition has high stakes. The Grand Prize is $20,000! Of the 451 artists submitting to this juried show, thirty finalists are chosen to be included in a touring exhibition.

I found that many works aspired to the conditions of photography—in other words, lots of amazing photorealism. Perhaps the best example is by Vancouver artist Brian Boulton. His diminutive graphite drawing titled Mikey@20.c (Chelsea Boots), is an astonishing, well-burnished “gem” that evacuates all evidence of the artist’s hand and his chosen medium. On the other hand, the works that strayed from the photographic sources really stood out in a positive way. The more exuberant works from T. Salzl and S. Hadzihasanovic conveyed a dynamic tension between traditional painting from life that was strangely contemporary.

Although the Grand Prize winner has been chosen (going to Kingston’s Michael Bayne), it’s not over ‘til it’s over. Don’t forget to cast a ballot to your fave for the People’s Choice Award–the winner will walk away with a “grand” in prize money. A must-see show!   

Brian Boulton's "I-can't-believe-it's-not-a-photo" drawing

Face in the Crowd

November 4, 2011

I was going to write about something else until something more topical came up in yesterday’s Toronto Star. On the back page of the Business Section was a great article on last weekend’s Toronto International Art Fair. Last Sunday I visited the Fair–the proof’s in the picture. This was my first time. It was a spectacular, at times overwhelming, experience. Loads of great work lined what seemed to be miles of aisles. Dealers from thirteen countries showcased their best artists.

The first and only time I'll be in the Star's Business section?

Some discoveries included Texas-based Helen Altman. Her sensitive “torch” drawings of fauna bring pyrography to a new level. Also, Michael Merrill’s discrete ink and gouache studies of architectural spaces were exquisite and technically accomplished. Joscelyn Gardner’s lithographs were featured at the Open Studio booth. We’ll be seeing more of her works at Station Gallery in early 2012. Can’t wait!

Screen-agers & New Art

October 21, 2011

Today’s media-savvy youth have a unique approach in understanding non-traditional art. We recently found this out at Station Gallery. For the past month, the gallery hosted groups of grade sevens and eights from across Durham Region. These students exceeded our expectations. The students toured the exhibition featuring works by Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens. The duo’s non-traditional approach to artmaking made sense to most students. They got it. It was interesting to see how they interpreted the graphics presented by the artists. Charts, bars, diagrams, text and video; these non-pictorial strategies communicated to students in ways we didn’t expect. Today is the last day for these curriculum-linked tours at the gallery. The generational differences of how art is consumed and understood continues to surprise and fascinate.

Arts Infused discussion

For the Record

October 6, 2011

A visit to a record store is a lot like going to an art gallery. Album art has a way of sparking new, exciting ideas. Records have a special way of connecting audio and visual elements in a way that CDs and MP3 formats rarely can. Plastic and paper, vinyl and visuals; records are the perfect package.

I’ve been going to Star Records ever since I was allowed to hang-out on my own growing up in Oshawa. The record store is the perfect place to get a dose of nostalgia, hear some great tunes and get a few laughs as you can see in the photo.

Album of the Chipmunks (photo: Allan Frank)

Citizen Kane & the Big Money

September 26, 2011

My enthusiasm for nineteenth century Canadian art was rekindled with a recent presentation at Station Gallery. Last Thursday, James Campbell gave a scintillating talk on the Victorian-era artist Paul Kane. James illuminated Kane’s importance in the field of historical Canadian art. As always, James fosters a dynamic discourse and curiosity that goes far beyond his presentation. Thursday’s lecture was no exception. He ended his talk with an image of Kane’s painting Scene in the Northwest: Portrait of John Henry Lefroy. This painting, as it turns, is a record holder. In 2002, it auctioned for $5.1 million dollars—the most expensive Canadian painting sold!

Paul Kane's portrait of Lefroy

The following day I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario. And there it was–the splendid portrait of British explorer J.H. Lefroy. Lefroy discovered the magnetic north pole. His claim-to-fame posthumously doubled with Kane’s record-holding portrait. Check it out next time you’re at the AGO.

Judging Richter

September 12, 2011

German painter Gerhard Richter had a profound impact on my artistic practice. So when the opportunity arose to check out the screening of Corinna Belz’s documentary Gerhard Richter Painting, I couldn’t pass-up the chance. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Fest on Saturday night. This was a rare and intimate glance into Richter’s studio practice. Through the course of the film, viewers witness the layered construction of the painter’s “squeegee” abstracts. As much as the film captured the vivid complexity of Richter’s visuals, the audio design of the film was outstanding. The abrasive “growl” of the painter’s tools across the canvas still resonates for me. During quieter moments the chirping of birds can be faintly heard emanating from the studio courtyard. A very effective juxtaposition.

Overall, this doc is a little demanding for the average viewer. The pace is slow and mediative, with many shots of Richter calculating his next manoeuvre followed by artist point-of-view shots of drying paint. Several people walked out of the theatre. At one point during the film, I looked around and noticed several viewers with their eyes closed. Perhaps they were just savouring the audio I’ve mentioned.

In the end, Gerhard Richter Painting is an intimate exposé into the celebrated artist’s working environment and his signature technique. The screening was followed by a Q & A by the doc’s director. Belz was generous with anecdotes and impressions of her time with Richter. Her words and images contributed vital nuances and contours to the portrait of Gerhard Richter. Her camera preserved fugitive moments in paint; layers only Richter witnesses in the course of creating a work. Those remaining in the auditorium were appreciative. We had just seen something which no longer exists.

Corinna Belz discusses her latest film