Hal Ingberg's "Papa" in Gatineau

I cannot believe that we go so much snow already!

Love how public art here in the National Capital Region looks in snow. For example "Papa" on Hull Island in Gatineau.

The large, multicoloured, transparent glass walls look amazing in the winter sunshine.

From the city's web site:

Unveiled on May 17, 2010, Papa was created by Montréal artist and architect Hal Ingberg. The work was selected by a jury, through a national competition, launched in spring 2007.

The Art of the Brick

Exhibition view "The Art of the Brick"

Nathan Sawaya uses LEGO building blocks to create impressive sculptures, either based on famous artworks like e.g. the Venus de Milo, Jan van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Portrait”, and van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” and much more, or his own imagination. The exhibition titled The Art of the Brick at the Canada Science and Technology Museum shows his unique creations using the well-known children’s building blocks, and the results are astounding! 

Exhibition view "The Art of the Brick"

A self-portrait of sculptor Nathan Sawaya

The most interesting part of the exhibition is a bit further down the hallways: Nathan Sawaya’s impressive collaboration with photographer Dean West. Simple objects like an umbrella or water bucket were made out of LEGO and then photographed in very staged everyday moments. Just at second glance, the observer discovers Sawaya’s artifacts in West’s large-scale photographs, and gets an uncanny feeling about the entire depicted scene. Just saying: Gregory Crewdson meets LEGO... 

Works in the exhibition, Nathan Sawaya’s collaboration with photographer Dean West

This umbrella, fully made of LEGO, appears in one of Dean West's large-scale hyper-realistic photographs.

Exhibition view: That LEGO dog appears on a leash in the Dean West photograph at the wall.

The show closes on Labour Day.



FACTS: 

THE ART OF THE BRICK 

Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ottawa 

Until September 3, 2018 

Link: https://ingeniumcanada.org/exhibitions/the-art-of-the-brick

Karen Bailey: Raising Stanley / Life With Tulia

Last Thursday, July 26, I was happy to attend the vernissage of Karen Bailey’s exhibition “RAISING STANLEY / LIFE WITH TULIA”. I also had a chance to see the powerful performance by Ottawa storyteller Kim Kilpatrick.

Bailey’s exhibition describes the journey from puppy to working guide dog for the blind - an accessible creative collaboration with storyteller Kim Kilpatrick. Karen’s impressive and so vivid paintings are displayed in the Fritzi Gallery and also appear in video format accompanying Kim’s eight performances in the Studio Theatre.

Kilpatrick, who was born blind, captured the audience with touching, striking, sometimes hilarious, accounts of her life with her guide dogs. Bailey’s paintings, as well as her voice and the voice of director Bronwyn Steinberg (for accessible audio descriptions), were projected as part of the performance. It’s fascinating to see how well these different media – visual art, theater, spoken word – intertwine and provide a fully accessible experience. And by the way: Tulia, Kim’s guide dog, is on stage as well (but mostly sound asleep).

INFO:
Fritzi Gallery, Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC)
1233 Wellington St. W., Ottawa
July 26 - August 5, 2018
Exhibition hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11 am - 5 pm, Thursday - Friday 11 am – 9 pm, Saturday 12 pm – 9 pm, Sunday 12 pm – 4 pm
Performance tickets and further information: gctc.ca

SPAO: Challenging Canadiana Artist Talk

The School of Photographic Arts Ottawa (SPAO) hosts an artist talk on Saturday, June 16 from 5-7pm for "Parfocal Lens: Challenging Canadiana", the second session in the 2018 visiting artists’ lecture series.

Art on display in CANADIANA: Selections from the Art Bank Collection, on view until July 1 in the SPAO Centre Gallery.

The curator of the exhibition, Johanna Mizgala, will join exhibiting artists Denis Farley, Lorraine Gilbert and Angela Grauerholz in a far-ranging conversation about contemporary Canadian photography and sense of place. Sounds very promising.

FACTS:
SPAO, 77 Pamilla St., Ottawa
Free admission.
Link: www.spao.ca

Mystery Solved!

I had contacted the City of Ottawa because of the missing panel at Richcraft Rec Center. They were surprised to hear that it is gone, and will replaced it soon. According to the city's art collection, the artist is Alisdair MacRae, the work is entitled Flora of Nova Scotia, produced in 2011.

The photographs are utilizing the cyanotype process through a contact print coated paper with the sun acting as the exposure.

That's what the text panel will say: Process plays an important role for MacRae in producing his work. He takes pleasure in the uncertainty of results. Here, each of these images is produced through cyanotype contact printing whereby various plants are positioned on coated paper between two sheets of glass and exposed to sunlight. This photographic process produces images on a blue ground. MacRae’s prints were inspired by Anna Atkins’ cyanotypes featured in Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions from 1843, the first photographic prints ever published. Atkins used a cyanotype process to document various forms of algae and seaweed, contact printing the plant along with a scientific caption. In contrast, the prints that MacRae has produced lack technical information related to species, moving these images away from the merely indexical. 

MacRae received a BFA from the University of Victoria and a MFA from the Milton Avery Graduate School for Fine Arts (New York). His work has been featured in numerous group and solo shows in Canada and abroad including Anthem at Carleton University Art Gallery (Ottawa) in 2007. MacRae currently lives and works in Ottawa where he has been involved in several curatorial and commission projects.

Mystery Works of Art

Does anyone know what this wonderful series is? And who is the artist?

Installation at the Richcraft Recreation Center, second floor.

The Richcraft Recreation Center in Kanata displays art from the Ottawa city's collection, and it's absolutely worthwhile to drop in just to see the stunning photographs, e.g. Tony Fouhse's rural play structures (second floor) and David Barbour's tree series (in the hallway leading to the pool).

But this series of photographs is missing its exhibition panel! I am sure they are some kind of photograms of plants. The paper used is of an interesting structure as well. Anyone with information, let me know please. I hope the city will fix it soon.

There was once a panel, but it has been missing for a couple of months now.

Wishing My Readers Happy Holidays & A Successful New Year!

OAG Lit Up! Outdoor Art Unveiling

The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) is taking art outside for one night! Celebrate two new commissioned works in the front courtyard of the soon to be opened OAG Expansion at 50 Mackenzie King Bridge.

According to the OAG web site, the event will include the spectacular projection artwork Of Buffalo, Bears, and Indian Scouts on the facade of the new OAG cube by Bear Witness and an accompanying DJ set by the JUNO winner. We will also be celebrating the large-scale, interactive light installation Ascension by The Latest Artists which will soon be mounted on the Mackenzie King Bridge wall.


Facts:

Friday, December 15, 2017
4:00 PM 7:00 PM
50 Mackenzie King Bridge Ottawa
Free admission
https://www.ottawaartgallery.ca/whatson/2017/12/15/oag-lit-up-art-unveiling-celebration

Opening Night @ Karsh-Masson Gallery

Currently on view at Karsh-Masson Gallery: "Continuum: Karsh Award artists welcome a new generation".

Seven past Karsh Award laureates have selected seven emerging artists who work within the photographic medium: Joi T. Arcand, AM Dumouchel, Leslie Hossack, Olivia Johnston, Julia Martin, Meryl McMaster and Ruth Steinberg.

Opening night at Karsh-Masson Gallery, September 14, was busy.

From Leslie Hossack's series H-Hour, Normandy 1944 on view at Continuum

From Olivia Johnston's Madonnas series on view at Continuum

Some works from the Avian Wanderer series by Meryl McMaster at Continuum

Facts:

Continuum: Karsh Award artists welcome a new generation
Karsh-Masson Gallery (at Ottawa City Hall)

September 14 to October 22, 2017

Link: https://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-heritage-and-culture/galleries-and-exhibition-spaces/karsh-masson-gallery/past-exhibitions-2017

Art on the Grass in Carp

Art on the Grass In Carp on Aug. 19, 2017

It was busy at the West Carleton Arts Society's outdoor art event... and no, it did NOT rain!

Link to West Carleton Arts Society: www.westcarletonartssociety.ca

Wintergatan - Marble Machine

This incredibly complex Marble Machine uses 2000 marbles to create music. Absolutely fascinating!

Check out the mesmerizing YouTube video of the Mable Machine by the Swedish folktronica band Wintergatan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&feature=youtu.be

Fieldwork turns 10

Fieldwork is celebrating its 10th anniversary with Soundwork - an exhibition of six installations that incorporate sound. Explore art in a very unique way: along a field and forest trails!

INSTALLATIONS BY:

Mixed Metaphors (Jesse Stewart & Matt Edwards)

Hilary Martin & Ranjit Bhatnagar

Annette Hegel & Deborah Margo

Matt Rogalsky & Laura Cameron

Doug Van Nort

Nicola Oddy

Some of the installations are interactive. The outdoor project continues through November, is open for the public and free of charge.

Fieldwork is 1.25 hours west of Ottawa. More details and directions can be found at www.fieldworkproject.com and/or on their Facebook page facebook.com/fieldworkproject.


Facts:
http://www.fieldworkproject.com/