Joy Kardish: Echo of the Dance @Dale Smith

Abandoned spaces full of history that evoke impermanence and tristesse – Joy Kardish depicts in her photo-based works derelict spaces before their unavoidable reinvention or demise. In stage-like compositions, the observer's eye is drawn to deserted rooms with debris of by-gone existences.

Kardish says: “While photographing, I often wondered: What happened in these buildings that were once alive and now lie dormant? Within the confines of these haunted walls where history intersected with my imagination, I wanted to create images to reflect this weaving together of reality and fiction. What began as a curious need to gain entry to spaces that I was told I could not enter has now become an ongoing project.“

Basement Hallway, 18 x 12.5'', 2011, paper negative/oil on Japanese washi paper

Her works on handmade, silk screened Japanes washi paper with its rough surface-structure refer to 19th century photo techniques like Calotype and albumen print. It gives these photographs a dreamlike atmosphere of a long gone era. These photographs are no historical documents; they are transformed into the vanity concept of meaning that constitutes the still life.

On the right side: 17th floor, 36 x 21.25'', 2011, paper negative/oil on Japanese washi paper

The exhibition shows the Sœurs de la Visitation convent in Ottawa, the Crystal Ballroom at Toronto’s King Edward Hotel, and the Valley Halla mansion outside Toronto. They seem to belong to a lost epoch, and we wonder about the long gone residents and visitors. Their presence can be detected from their tracks but not from any personal or individual relics. It is indeed just an Echo of the Dance... 

Facts:
Joy Kardish - Echo of the Dance
Dale Smith Gallery
March 11th - April 5th, 2011
Joy Kardish's website