Japanese Prints, Canadian Feminist Art and Rita Letendre @ CUAG

To take a journey from 17^th century Japanese woodblock prints through colourful abstracts to recent feminist positions, the Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) is the right place right now - with its three current summer exhibitions! I attended the opening on Monday and was astonished by these three completely different shows that work together so perfectly!

Exhibition view: "Patriot Loves". On the right side: Joyce Wieland's quilts, on the left: Cynthia Girard "Filles du roi/Filles de joie", 2002

So, I started with the feminist show that refers to Joyce Wieland's landmark exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada exactly 40 years ago, called “True Patriot Love”. The show at the CUAG is accordingly entitled “Patriot Loves: Visions of Canada in the Feminine”. It strongly refers to Wieland, who said: “I think of Canada as female. All the art I’ve been doing…is about Canada.”

Nadia Myre: "Indian Act," 2002. She is an Anishinaabe Canadian from the Kitigan Zibi First Nation of Quebec. The printed pages of the law are covered with tiny red and white glass beads. 

The exhibition deals with Canadian patriotism from a feminist point of view. It presents several of Wieland's key works like the quilted “Reason over Passion” (1968), together with contemporary works by Nadia Myre and Cynthia Girard.

Joyce Wieland: “The Spirit of Canada suckles the French and English Beavers”, 1970-71

The exhibition examines some of the historical, political and cultural threads that inform the notions of Canadian patriotic love – like Wieland's little sculpture that shows the “The Spirit of Canada suckles the French and English Beavers” (1970-71)! Cynthia Girard and Nadia Myre also examine Canadian identities with sharp humour and they address topics like history, memory, and experience.

Exhibition view CUAG: "Against the Grain"

Going a few more meters into the main exhibition room: “Against the Grain: Japanese Woodblock Prints from the University of Alberta Art Collection” is a travelling exhibition by the University of Alberta Art Collection. In his talk on Monday, the Japanese ambassador focused on the fact that the woodblock print technique is used not only in traditional Japanese art but also internationally. For example, prints from Dorset were shown in “Inuit Prints: Japanese Inspiration” in the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo (January-March 2011). Ambassador Ishikawa emphasized how these exhibitions provide a wonderful opportunity to learn about different cultures.

Exhibition view CUAG: "Against the Grain"

The exhibition at Carleton shows Japanese woodblock printing from the Edo period (1603-1868) to the present and how this technique and its subjects has developed over the centuries. I was strongly impressed by prints by Hiroshige and Hokusai which had e.g. a major impact on European artists like van Gogh, Degas, and Cassatt. I am actually looking forward to the van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery next year that will emphasise on van Gogh's reception of the close-up in Japanese prints.

Exhibition view: "Rita Letendre"

Going up the stairs, you will arrive at “Rita Letendre: Themes and Variations”. The winner of the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2010 is presented with some of her most striking works, drawn from the gallery’s collection. As the curator Diana Nemiroff mentioned in her talk, Letendre's works are all about energy, light, and colour.

Exhibition view: "Rita Letendre"

The exhibition includes examples of Letendre’s lithographs, serigraphs, and aquatints as well as some pastels and a painting. In her talk, Letendre said that art is a form of communication that aims on individual feelings. The reception of each artwork is not only seeing the artwork but rather to “discover something from yourself” in that moment.

Rita Letendre at her talk, Monday, May 9th, 2011

Letendre made clear how much she loves what she is doing – working as a visual artist since five decades now! Her silkscreens with their bright colours and energetic lines are very striking and the exhibition shows her development from hard geometric forms in the 1960s and 70s to softer colour transition in the 1980s.

My conclusion: These summer shows are a must-go!

Facts:

“Against the Grain: Japanese Woodblock Prints from the University of Alberta Art Collection” 9 May – 24 July 2011

“Patriot Loves: Visions of Canada in the Feminine” 

9 May – 10 July 2011

“Rita Letendre: Themes and Variations” 9 May – 24 July 2011

CUAG

On the Carleton University Campus, St. Patrick's Building

Free admission

Eric Walker's Painted Constructions

Eric Walker's Painted Constructions follow an unusual aesthetic strategy: They show mostly aerial views of cityscapes by using mixed media in a really uncommon meaning. His large-scale artworks are made from common found materials, mostly tiny metallic plates in different shapes and colours which are fastened with again tiny, tiny nails to plywood. This must be such a detailed and difficile effort! 

The Colour of London is Red, 2007, 122 x 83 cm, mixed media collage on plywood fastened with nails

It is amazing to see these assemblages in a close-up view because it reveals how they were made of thousands of little pieces.

Detail of The Colour of London is Red, 2007

Visual and Media artist Eric Walker studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. You can find his works in both public and private collections and he has exhibited throughout Canada and internationally with shows in Tokyo, Mexico City and New York.

The Halifax International Airport in 2004, 2005

Eric Walker is represented here in Ottawa by Cube Gallery.

His blog gives an insight in his artistic development and statements on his works: http://www.ericjosephwalker.com/

Cynosure & Bozica Radjenovic – INFUSION

Quite extraordinary – the current exhibition at the Ottawa School of Art. Why? Can you imagine knitted blood systems and jewelry mushrooms?

The exhibition "Infusion" with works by Cynosure Jewelry and Bozica Radjenovic combines craft, design and fine arts and hold a lot of surprises. The tiny artworks by Cynosure Jewelry, a design studio from Kitchener which is run by Shannon Kennedy and Juan Bohorquez, appeal to a close interaction with the beholder: “As artists, we are constantly seeking a way to bring our art expression closer to the people, to their environment, and make them, the people, interact more directly with the artwork, in the visual attachment and the actual physical awareness.” The expand the borders of jewellery with unusual techniques and forms of art expression.

OSA

Bozica Radjenovic, a Serbian-born artist who lives in Ottawa, has worked with materials like wood, plaster, and found objects such as shoes. In 2009 when she had an exhibition in Belgrade, Serbia, she decided to create soft collapsible sculptures to carry in her suitcase. As she says: “Those unsteady collapsible and puppet like structures represent my state of mind. The wool speaks of a connection, a way back to the point of origin, to childhood. As an émigré artist to Canada, nostalgia for my roots is connected to memories of my mother’s endless knitting of woollen items of clothing for all the members of the family.” Her knitted artworks, like "Red Roots or Sweater for Poor Blood Circulation" (2009, see above), deal with childhood memories and her search for (cultural) identity.

The extraordinary crafts/artworks in such materials like red and yellow wools and silver metal make "Infusion" a remarkable exhibition.

Facts: 
Cynosure & Bozica Radjenovic – INFUSION 
OSA Gallery
March 31 - May 1, 2011
Link OSA

Wellington West Art Walk

Every first Thursday of the month, there is the Wellington West Art Walk, a guided walking tour that covers six galleries in the Hintonburg area. All the galleries are staying opened late on that night and some of them schedule their exhibition openings accordingly.

I always wanted to go and now I finally made it! I attended the April-tour; and it was actually a lot of fun and very exploratory. Like one of the attenders said: “It's like a pub crawl, but with galleries!” It's a great chance to see 6 exhibitions (sometimes at their opening nights) in one evening.

Fritzi Gallery

We – a group of 10 people - started at 7 p. m. at the Fritzi Gallery, located in the upper foyer of the Great Canadian Theatre Company. Currently shown is Paula Mitas Zoubek's work which encounters the theatre play The Middle Place by Andrew Kushnir. The play which unfortunately is not shown any more, was created from interviews conducted at a youth shelter.

Paula Mitas Zoubek at Fritzi Gallery

Paula Mitas Zoubek's paintings show landscapes or group portraits with blank spaces of the contour of children; she left them blank to reminds us on lost childhoods... She wants the beholder to fill them out with his or her own childhood memories. 

The crowd at Patrick John Mills

The next stop was Patrick John Mills Gallery. It was the opening night of the controversial exhibition Porn is not Art – and it was jammed! You might have seen posters of the show, because Mills has put them up all over the city, saying: “Porn is not Art”, or “Porn is Art”. The show seems to give the answer: of course it is...

Patrick John Mills

Included in the show are a few large-scale paintings by Patrick John Mills with his characteristic dynamic brushstrokes. He says in the exhibit statement: “Since the internet porn has become abundant. Porn effects how we communicate, the dynamics of our relationships, and how we interact as partners. This exhibition will explore the impact porn has had on our lives.”

Matthew Jeffrey

The Orange Art Gallery was next, with an exhibition opening for Urban Magic presenting Megan D'Arcy and Matthew Jeffrey. D'Arcy created large-scale photo collages of hyper- stylized urban landscapes with a shiny resin finish; Jeffrey weaves two digital prints - like a shot of a sidewalk and a diving sea turtle - that leads to astonishing results and a complexity of meanings. Other artists of the gallery were also shown who presented a very broad spectrum of media, styles and artistic approaches.

The big sign on the roof of the gallery shows a portrait by Ottawa based artist Stephen Frew who is strongly influence by Francis Bacon, Egon Schiele and Lucien Freud. His portraits, self-portraits and nudes are currently also on display – inside the gallery, of course.

Karen Flanagan McCarthy at Exposure Gallery

At Exposure Gallery the Ottawa based photographer Karen Flanagan McCarthy gave us a very interesting insight in her work process. The photos in her show Fugitive States were created close to her home in Aylmer and along the Ottawa River; they show ice patches and the frozen river in close-ups that depict tiny cracks and fissures.

From the exhibition Fugetive States

It is stunning how abstract these ice structures occur when the context of the shot is not visible any more. McCarthy finds these amazing forms that are images of a particular state that won't last long; indeed "Fugitive States".

Gallery 3

Gallery 3 on Wellington presents works by Canadian contemporary artists. It is an offspring of the Byward Market’s Galerie St. Laurent & Hill.

On the right: Nina Cherney, on the left: Peter Hoffer

There was no exhibition opening at that night, but the gallery presents an overview about their artists.

Ottawa Alleyways at Cube Gallery

We ended our tour at the Cube Gallery at the opening of Ottawa Alleyways. It was crowded with people! Eight Ottawa artists explore and depict Ottawa's back alleys – that lead to a broad spectrum of paintings in different styles, some neo-realist, some in a naïve style, some almost abstract.

Strachan Johnston at Cube

Strachan Johnston's acrylic paintings with patterns of strong colours gave an almost abstract impression. The close hanging at Cube's walls is perfect for this show because its corresponds with the subjects – the narrow back alleys between and behind our houses.

All the galleries in the tour are located in short distance from each other; the tour took us around 1.5 hours. For people who prefer to walk into an art gallery in a group and not on their own, it's the ideal tour. But for people with a background and knowledge in arts, I would recommend to visit these galleries on your own because we just had c.10-15 minutes for each gallery. That's not a lot of time when you are really interested. All of these galleries are opened till 9p.m. on 1^st Thursdays – so it's ideal to stroll through them after work!

Facts:

Wellington West Art Walk

Free guided tour

every 1st Thursday of the month

starts at 7p.m.

At Fritzi Gallery (Great Canadian Theatre Company)

Link to the tour

MFA Exhibition @ Gallery 115

Gallery 115 at the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa shows currently a MFA exhibition with work of students enrolled in its programs. The show presents a broad spectrum of artistic media and approaches. Unfortunately, the artworks in the exhibition came without labels, therefore I cannot provide titles and further information.

Cara Tierney

Cara Tierney plays in this photo with the expectations of the (male?!) beholder and refers obviously to Titian's Venus of Urbino.

left: Andrea Campbell, right: Tina Chinichian

Tina Chinichian's crosswords read: Iran, people, god, religion, protest, freedom...

Laura Taler

 Laura Taler presents a landscape photograph on a light-box that might refer to Jeff Wall's works.

Jennifer Norman

Jennifer Norman's abstract small-scale paintings have a huge impact on the beholder.

The events website of the UO mentions that they are more "details to come"; it would be indeed interesting to find out more about the artists and their works. 

Facts:

Gallery 115

MFA Exhibition

Mondays to Fridays from 9 to 4
Main floor of 100 Laurier Avenue East.

“It Is What It Is” – At the NGC till Sunday

Just a reminder: The Canadian biennial exhibition It Is What It Is: Recent Acquisitions of New Canadian Art is still on view at the National Gallery. But just until Sunday – so take your last chance!

My exhibition highlights in a very, very subjective point of view (with comments why I enjoyed them so much):

Rodney Graham, The Gifted Amateur, 2007: Because the artist stages himself in a room full of references to art history and pop culture, with lots of books lying around, carefully set up. He refers not only to great masters like Picasso, Klee, Miro; he also includes Erwin Panofsky's “Studies in Iconology”. Iconology, that's the key, ha!

James Carl, jalousie (bole), 2008: Because the meaning of his sculptures, made of Venetian blinds, is only revealed when you read the labels – so: READ THE LABELS! Just a hint: it has to do with the German and French word for these blinds...

Adad Hannah, All is Vanity (Mirrorless Version), 2009: Because this real-time video-recorded tableau vivant doesn't show a young woman in a mirror, but two identical twins. Yes, they are blinking, but not synchronously - which takes a while to realize.

Chris Millar, Bejeweled Double Festooned Plus Skull for Girls, 2009: This paint sculpture is as elaborate as its title. I love the little details in this fantastic-absurd factory – like “slippery when wet” warning signs and the collection of kitchy china plates!

Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay, Live to Tell, 2002: Because his video performance mediated by 16 kind-of-surveillance cameras deals with the search for self-identity and is in the same time hilarious.

I know, it would be great to actually see pictures of the artworks here, but I am not sure if I can use them because of copyrights. Therefore: Go and see the originals yourself! Some more artists are featured in this exhibition, like David Altmejd, Shuvinai Ashoona, Valérie Blass, Sarah Anne Johnson, Luanne Martineau, and Gareth Moore.

Facts: 
It Is What It Is. Recent Acquisitions of New Canadian Art
5 November 2010 - 10 April 2011
National Gallery, Special Exhibitions Galleries

Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts 2011@ NGC

It looks like due to the freezing weather conditions in Ottawa, everyone has a cold! Me too! That's why I could not attend the opening of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts 2011 at the National Gallery on Thursday – such a shame!

I was in particular interested in the work by the photographer Geneviève Cadieux, of course (see my posting a while ago). But I have to say that Kye-Yeon Son's works are also impressive. Son won the Saidye Bronfman Award for excellence in fine crafts with her fragile metalsmith works. She finds her inspiration in natural forms and shapes, like leafless trees in winter, or birds' nests.

Calming, 2006, sterling silver, gold-filled wire, 24k gold plate, 46 x 13 x 12 cm. Private collection.
(photo: Perry Jackson) from the CCA website

In the video provided on the CCA website, she speaks about her grieve after her father's death and how this personal experience influenced her art. In using precious metals like gold, silver, copper, niobium and titanium wire, these metals gain new, organic forms in an intuitive process.

Nature’s Breath, 2009, copper, enamel, 17 x 17 x 9 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
(photo: Kye-Yeon Son) from the CCA website

Son is a Associate Professor in the Jewellery Department at NSCAD University in Halifax. She was born in South Korea, and received her BFA from the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University, and her MFA from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. A Canada Council founding has supported Son's recent research regarding soldering methods. She experimented with a PUK electro-welder, an industrial machine which allowed her to improve her techniques and create sculptural forms. Her minimalist aesthetic can now be seen at the National Gallery. She is also represented here in Ottawa by Lafreniere & Pai Gallery.


Facts:
Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts 2011
March 25th - June 19th, 2011
National Gallery of Canada
Gallery B109

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

Military Art Now - Symposium on YouTube

For everyone who was interested in my posting about the symposium on Canadian War Artists: I just want to let you know that the War Museum put these videos on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=913104D2D63B6852

It's 15 videos and the total lenght is more than 2 hours!

Abstract and Figurative Painting @ Cube

“Trinary - A show of recent work by a trio of emerging artists” is the title of the current exhibition at the Cube Gallery. Presenting both abstract and figurative paintings, I was surprised by the broad spectrum of the works by Kristy Gordon, Susan Ukkola, and M. (Peggy) Hughes. That's why I attended the Artists talk at the Cube Gallery on Sunday.

Kristy Gordon @ Cube Gallery

I was in particular looking forward to meet the youngest of these artists, Kristy Gordon. But unfortunately, she had no time to come to Ottawa from Toronto where she lives. This was such a pity, because I was so interested in her work! But her statement was shown in an uTube video – and it already revealed what an energetic and enthusiastic artist she is.

Portraits and landscapes by Kristy Gordon

Obviously, her paintings in oil refer to the Pre-Raphaelites (founded in mid-19th century in England) with their soft landscapes, elegant compositions in an idealized nature setting.

Kristy Gordon

But also her portraits are very impressive. As she mentioned in her uTube video, she first painted landscapes and later focused more and more on portraits of family and friends. She really catches the empathy between the artist and the sitter. Furthermore, a lot of her small scale paintings seem to sell very well: a lot of them are already marked with red dots! No wonder why she has received honours from the Portrait Society of America and e.g. made the third Prize at the Portrait Society of Canada International Portrait Competition.

Kristy Gordon: Study for self-portrait in Armour

This is a study for a self-portrait in an Armour. Here, she clearly refers to the Quattrocento Italian painting. As she said, her interest in self-portraits comes from the fact that she understands them as a vehicle for self-introspection. Hope to see more!

Susan Ukkola's encaustic paintings @ Cube Gallery

Susan Ukkola mentioned that she works intuitively, starting from a simple idea. Working in encaustic, she responds to the surface, adds and removes colour, until she likes the results. She emphasized on her love for the encaustic medium, because she loves the lines and scratches on the surface. Therefore she can combine her interest for drawing with her excitement for painting. Finally, when “it feels right” she creates marks on the surface, by scratching into it. Surprisingly, she even uses a meat tenderiser! With the last step, the patina, the texture becomes visible. “The line is what makes my paintings an artwork!”

Peggy Hughes

Peggy Hughes works non-representative or abstract since 10 years now. She started in watercolour before she retired, but then switched to acrylic. In her talk, she referred to the visual texture of her abstract paintings and to her ongoing search for forms and shapes. She develops them from the textures.

Peggy Hughes in the Trinary exhibition

Hughes focuses on three main topics: isolated forms, abstract shapes that remind us on cityscapes, and imaginary forms.

"Trinary" shows figurative and abstract works in oil, acrylic and encaustic – a broad spectrum of contemporary painting.

Facts: 
Trinary - Kristy Gordon, Susan Ukkola, M. (Peggy) Hughes 
Cube Gallery
March 1 – 27, 2011
Exhibition link

Benjamin Rodger: "I Saw the Invisible Man but He Didn't See Me"

The Ottawa artist Benjamin Roger explores in his large-scale paintings the issues of seeing and not seeing, being seen and being invisible. In doing so, he refers to the poet Patrice Desbiens who explored the alienation of the Francophone minority in his L’Homme invisible/The Invisible Man. This poetry collection from 1981 is written in both French and English.

 

Invisible Man #3, 72 x 96 inches (183cm x 244cm), acrylic and oil on canvas, 2011

Like Patrice Desbiens, Rodger focuses on the two sides (English and French) of his cultural identity. Like he said: "With a lot of Franco-Ontarians, it's this idea that you can blend in. There's nothing that says on your face that your mother tongue is French. There's an invisibility between even Franco-Ontarians." (Adam Volk: The Man who wasn't there, 02-10-2011, Ottawa Xpress, Link)

Invisible Man #4, 72 x 96 inches (183cm x 244cm), acrylic and oil on canvas, 2011

This invisibility is the main topic of the series which is currently shown at the Orange Art Gallery. His impressive artworks blend detailed portraiture with colourful textures. Therefore, his paintings seem to oscillate between abstract and figurative when full lenght portraits of his friends are floating on backgrounds of geometric patterns.

Invisible Man #2, 48 x 72 inches (122cm x 183cm), acrylic and oil on canvas, 2011

The figures are standing on front of the pattern, but are more and more superimposed by them, until only a white contour drawing remains of them. They seem to dissolve into the geometric lines. According to the artist, the series refers to a meeting that did not actually occur between Desbiens and Rodger a few winters ago in Montreal (Link to the artist's website).

Facts:

"I Saw the Invisible Man but He Didn't See Me"

Orange Art Gallery

233 Armstrong St.

March 3 - 27, 2011

Petra Halkes – Bright Nights @ Ottawa School of Art

Petra Halkes: Drive-by Window Shopping 10 (Blur with Green and Orange), 2011 (copyright by the artist) 

When I walked by the Ottawa School of Art on my way home last week, I got a quick glimpse of the current Petra Halkes' exhibition. I could just see her paintings through the windows because the OSA was already closed; but they captured my gaze because they depicted exactly what surrounded me in that particular moment: The urban landscape at night. So I came back the next day...

The paintings – mostly small scale – base on photographs that Halkes took from the passenger seat of a driving car at night time. That's why they were blurred in first place; but the blurred views gain an abstract quality when she transfers them into paintings. They question also the representational function of photography.

“Bright Nights” Exhibition view (copyright by the artist) 

The street and advertising lights and the urban buildings have been morphed into abstract shapes. They are all blurred and therefore almost unidentifiable. But on the other hand they are universal: The scene depicted could be anywhere in Ottawa or somewhere else. Sometimes brand names like Tim Horton's or Cosco are visible, but in most of the paintings the abstract colour stripes and fields dominate.

Drive-by Window Shopping 6 (White Windows), 2011 (copyright by the artist) 

Halkes reminds my at the blurred figurative paintings by the German Gerhard Richter. In his early photo-realistic painted works he also worked from photos (made by himself or collected almost endlessly from magazines, advertisements and books) which he projects onto the canvas where he depicts them very accurately. In a second step, he blurs the painting by a soft, wide brush or a squeegee. They are out of focus, both literally and in the poetic sense. His paintings deal with the boundaries of human perception and pictorial representation, and the borders of realism and abstraction. Like the German art historian Wolfgang Ullrich writes in his “Die Geschichte der Unschärfe” (The History of Images out of focus, 2002), this is symptomatic for the area we live in, the postmodernity.

Drive-by Window Shopping 2 (White Blur), 2011 (copyright by the artist) 

By the way, the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Germany is showing an exhibition “Out of focus. After Gerhard Richter” (11 February to 22 May 2011) with stunning paintings which follow Richter's approach. The works on exhibition show a softened, veiled surface that refers to fading memories; but also things in motion that got blurred by movement in our hectic surroundings. This brings me back to Halkes' works that are now on view at the OSA and that also challenge our representational habits - worth a visit!


Facts: 
Petra Halkes – Bright Nights 
February 17 - March 23, 2011
OSA Gallery
35 George St. ByWard Market
Link to the OSA exhibition