A Visit with the Finns @ Exposure

Exhibition view Exposure Gallery, Ottawa

An eye-catching documentation of the people and the land of Svartsmara, part of Finland's Åland Islands, is now on view at the Exposure Gallery. Alli Asudeh's series of medium format colour photographs and Polaroids evoke the simple farm life in rural Finland.

Exhibition view Exposure Gallery, Ottawa

Her artist statement: “I grew up moving every few years, always within the city but often having to change schools. The constant flux in my life was at times destructive, but it allowed me to grow into myself. I have often wondered what it would have been like to have had a more grounded childhood, and a simpler life.

Exhibition view Exposure Gallery, Ottawa

After meeting someone from the Åland Islands, and hearing stories about the village of Svartsmara, I knew I wanted to visit and meet the people and document the land. Svartsmara has roughly seventy full time residents. Generations of farmers who live in a beautiful village on the Åland Islands, an archipelago of over 6,000 islands with a population of approximately 28,000 Swedish speaking Finns.

Two of the portraits by Ottawa photographer Alli Asudeh

I spent my time in Svartsmara photographing the small farming village preserved in rich family history, and getting to know the warm and inviting villagers. I had the opportunity to help on a lettuce farm, celebrate May Day, visit seaside cliffs and 19th century fortress ruins, and hear stories of local folklore.”

Facts:

A Visit with the Finns – Photographs by Alli Asudeh

Exposure Gallery

August 1, 2013 – September 3, 2013

http://www.exposuregallery.info/a-visit-with-the-finns/

Urban Iceberg

Inuk Silis Hoegh: Iluliaq [Iceberg] 2013

Isn't that a great idea to cover up a construction site like that?! The urban iceberg at the National Gallery.

Inuk Silis Hoegh: Iluliaq [Iceberg] 2013

Dutch Settlement: Quartair Contemporary Art Initiatives of The Hague at EBA

Two artists' collectives in former bread factories – one here in Ottawa and the other in The Hague. Both founded in 1992 by recent art graduates from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and respective from the Ottawa University. What a coincidence – or probably fate? Now, works by Quartair Contemporary Art Initiatives artists are on view at the Enriched Bread Artists (EBA) in an outstanding exhibition.

Invitation from the EBA. For more details, see:
http://www.enrichedbreadartists.com/documents/quartair_dutchsettlement_invitation.pdf

EBA will host that special exhibition, Dutch Settlement, organized by Quartair artists. Some of whom will be present. The participants are inspired by various meanings of the word ‘settlement’, from the oldest villages in the Low Countries to the founding of communities of colonists and labour immigrants in ‘the New World’.

Artists participating in Dutch Settlement are: Marlies Adriaanse, Harold de Bree, Paul Donker Duyvis,Geeske Harting, Rens Krikhaar, Erik-Jan Ligtvoet, Ingrid Mol, Pepijn van den Nieuwendijk, Jessy Theo Rahman, Pietertje van Splunter, Thom Vink.

This exchange will continue in The Hague this August when fifteen EBA artists will create an exhibition in Quartair’s gallery space in The Hague.

Mark your calenders: The opening is this Friday!



Facts:
Dutch Settlement: Quartair Contemporary Art Initiatives of The Hague at EBA
Enriched Bread Artists Studios
951 Gladstone Avenue (west of Preston)

May 31st to June 10th 2013

Vernissage:
Friday, May 31st, 2013, 7 - 9 PM
www.enrichedbreadartists.com/ebaquartairexchange.htm

Kanata Artists Studio Tour

Living in Kanata, a sub-urb of Ottawa, has some pros and cons. On the one hand being close to nature (Greenbelt, Trans Canada Trail etc) and work, on the other hand being far away from museums and art galleries which are mostly located in the down town core. I have to confess, I really miss being out and about and stroll through exhibitions. That's why I was so looking forward to the 22nd Annual Kanata Artists Studio Tour! It took place last weekend.

Every year, Kanata artists open their home studios to the public on the first weekend of May. This year, the artists were:

Violeta Borisonik
Beulah McLellan
David Farrar
Susan Goold
Peggy Hughes
Judi Miller
Elizabeth Potvin
Rosemary Randell
Karl Kischel
Janis Miller Hall

And the participating Guest Artists:
Sue Ukkola
RicharD Murphy
Amie Talbot

Some of Beulah McLellan's abstract acrylic works which were on view at her home during the Kanata Artists Studio Tour 2013. Copyright by Beulah McLellan.

I finally had the chance to see some art close to my place, so I visited Beulah McLellan's studio. I chatted a bit with her about her encaustic technique (she also uses acrylic, but I liked the encaustic works more). It is made of beeswax and pigment, and other materials can be encased into the surface which makes it such an exciting artistic medium. Actually, it's a very old technique, developed in Egypt during the Coptic Period. Further, its texture is great – and that's why it is the medium of choice for Beulah who also integrates everyday objects into her works (like newspaper letters, pictures etc.).

Some of Beulah McLellan's encaustic works at the Kanata Artists Studio Tour 2013. Copyright by Beulah McLellan.

"Sheepish" by Beulah McLellan.

According to her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BeulahMcLellanArt) she has sold several paintings over the last weekend. I assume that the Kanata Artists Studio Tour was a success for all participating artists, and for me it was a great opportunity to see contemporary, local art in Kanata!

At Beulah McLellan's studio during the Kanata Artists Studio Tour 2013. Copyright by Beulah McLellan.

Facts:
http://www.kanataartists.com/index.html
For information:
(613) 592-0508
StudioTour@KanataArtists.com

Blog of the Gerhard Richter Archive

 

Now there are no priests or philosophers left, artists are the most important people in the world.

SOURCE: Notes, 1966 (From Gerhard Richter's homepage: http://www.gerhard-richter.com/quotes/art-1)

I wish that would be the case! That astonishing quote is from Germany's top selling living artist Gerhard Richter (auction record price in October 2012 for Abstraktes Bild at £21m ($34m)).

Gerhard Richter is for sure one of the most significant artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. His oeuvre covers a period of nearly five decades, and he is well-know for his abstract and photo realistic painted works. I have also no doubt that he may be one of the contemporary artist about whom most articles, books, exhibition catalogues, videos, Cd's, posters etc. exist. They are all collected by an research institute that is located in Dresden, Germany, in his birth town: The Gerhard Richter Archive. It keeps and documents all books, catalogues, journals, articles, and photographs and so on that contain relevant information about Richter.

Gerhard Richter Archive blog, see: http://gra.hypotheses.org/1

Recently it has started a blog under http://gra.hypotheses.org/1, giving an insight into the archive's work and about ongoing developments about the artist like auction records, exhibitions, book releases... So, if you want to know which museum hosts the next exhibit on Richter: that's the place to go! Unfortunately, it's only in German!

During my last visit to Germany in 2011, I had the chance to see the two exhibition rooms in the Albertinum, Dresden, which were created by Richter himself. One room provides an overview of his work so far, including the 1964 painting “Portrait of Dr. Knobloch (41)”, which was purchased by the Gerhard Richter Archive, whilst in the other room new glass works created specifically for Dresden are presented. It was very impressive!

The Gerhard Richter Archive is a centre for research and communication concerning Richter's oeuvre. Very exciting, and an amazing research source: One section of the Archive’s holdings contains unpublished writings and documents, correspondence and photographs. Furthermore, the archive works on the catalogue raisonné of all of Gerhard Richter’s paintings and sculptures – an amazing project.

If you are interested in Richter's art and would like to look up a specific painting – or just get an overview - I also strongly recommend his own website:
http://www.gerhard-richter.com

A New Home for the Karsh-Masson Gallery

Entrance of the Karsh-Masson Gallery in the ByWard Market, Ottawa

June 2013 will be a significant month of change for the City of Ottawa exhibition spaces. The city-run Karsh-Masson art gallery is going to move from the ByWard Market to City Hall. There, it will be located on the ground floor, beside the existing City Hall Art Gallery in an expanded space. How exactly the two exhibition spaces will connect is not known yet. But it may be a wonderful opportunity for the city to present more contemporary visual arts by local, national and international artists – and have the two exhibit spaces interacting, or contrasting each other.

Erik Nieminen – Anonymous Reality, Installation view 2011, Karsh-Masson Gallery, ground floor, Copyright photo courtesy of Erik Nieminen

Since 2003, the Karsh-Masson Gallery has been located at 136 St. Patrick St. There, it has been one of the most exciting exhibition spaces of the city of Ottawa.

But the building is expected to need renovations. Further, the city’s lease will end in June 2013 (it was leased from the National Capital Commission).

As part of his speech introducing the draft 2013 budget in October 2012, Mayor Jim Watson said the city “will be relocating the Karsh-Masson Gallery into a refurbished and expanded facility and bringing it home to City Hall.” (see: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Karsh+Masson+gallery+moving+City+Hall+Mayor/7441433/story.html)

It will be a challenge, but also a huge chance for visual arts!


Facts:
Karsh-Masson Gallery

The gallery got its name from famous portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh and visual artist Henri Masson.

Now on exhibit: Heather Benning – Field Doll
January 25 to March 3, 2013
Free admission

http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-culture-and-community/arts-theatre-music/now-exhibit-karsh-masson-gallery

Jake Morrison's "Breathing Light"

Exhibition view, Jake Morrison at Pressed Cafe, Ottawa

 "Photography is always, of course, about light – the texture of light, the shape of light, the subtleties of light. But there have been times, very occasional times, when it seems like I am immersed in light, surrounded by light, breathing light. There is a feeling of the spiritual. As a photographer I try to capture the moment but, in those times, it can be very difficult to break away from the experience to focus on recording it.” , so Ottawa photographer Jake Morrison.

Jake Morrison, from the series "Tilt"

 
His impressive photographs from the series "Breathing Light" are now on view at Pressed Cafe, 750 Gladstone, Ottawa. The show runs till end of January 2013. Also hanging are works from "Tilt", a series that focus on still lifes in the manner of David Hockney's photographic collages.

Like Morrison says, he experienced “Breathing Light” for the first time on a hillside in The Yukon in August, 2010. It evoked "the sacred" in him. "My relationship with nature is one of appreciation of the mystery and beauty without much interest in the categorization and science that we humans have created around it. I try to present my experiences in nature through my photography. I very much appreciate the immersive nature of the digitally‐stitched panorama and I use it often to help draw the viewer into the scene." — Jake Morrison (from: http://www.oldottawasouth.ca/index.php/oos-news/1976-new-jake-morrison-photography-show)

Jake Morrison: "Two Photographers", from the series "Breathing Light" (2010), courtesy of Jake Morrison

 
One photo in particular caught my attention: "Two Photographers". Here, Morrison's shadow falls into the picture. He therefore captures a place insight the pictorial space and produces an ”auctorial insertion” (after Philippe Dubois: The Photographic Act). The photographer shows himself here as the author and is visible in the image. In particular noteworthy is the fact, that the implicit demonstration of the production of the artwork itself destructs the illusion of the pictorial reality. Therefore the semiotic category of the index – that is related to the object by causality – apply to this photo as special kind of self-portrait.



Facts: 
Jake Morrison: “Breathing Light” and “Tilt”
Pressed Cafe, 750 Gladstone, Ottawa
http://www.pressed-ottawa.com/ 
Artist's homepage: www.withflare.org 
Jake has set up a gallery of show images at:
http://www.morrisonkeeler.org/bigflannel/BreathingLight.html

A Human Library

Human Beings as exhibition objects are nothing new when you think about it. Performance art, and its sub-category body-art exists at the latest since the Dada movement; and since the 1960s it is an accepted art form. Just think about Joseph Beuys with “How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare” (1965), and Chris Burden's performance piece “Shoot” (1971), in which he was shot in his left arm by an assistant. Or Gilbert and George's "Living Sculpture" performance (also 1971), just to name a few.

Recently, I would even count the natural birth in the Microscope Gallery in Brooklyn as a piece of performance art (see: http://www.microscopegallery.com/?page_id=8180)!

The Ottawa Public Library, in corporation with CBC Ottawa (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) take this approach now to a new level: A Human Library.

On Saturday, January 26th, 2013, at five different branches of the Ottawa Public Library, readers are invited to try out one of the 38 living books that have been lined up for the day. It is not really a performance, but rather a documentary with real people and real conversations.

The selection of “books” available looks very exciting, like e.g. a Mother of eight, an Algonquin

Spiritual Advisor, a Sex Worker, a Chinese Adoptee, and an Urban Inuk. People from the National Capital Region have volunteered to be a “living book”, to share their stories and answer questions from readers.

Launched in Denmark in 2000, the Human Library was a way to focus on anti-violence, encourage dialogue and build relations. It has grown in popularity with 27 countries taking part in 2008, including Brazil, China, Columbia, Cyprus, Malaysia and South Africa.


Facts:

Date: Saturday, January 26th, 2013

Open: 11:00 am - 3 pm

Participating Locations of the Ottawa Library: Main Library, Alta Vista, Hazeldean, North Gloucester, Ruth E. Dickinson

Duration of loans: 20 minutes

Link: www.BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca/HumanLibrary

Live Through This: Photographs by Tony Fouhse

When I first saw some of the portraits of crack and heroin addicts by Ottawa photographer Tony Fouhse, I was deeply moved. His portraits capture vulnerability and desperation, in shocking but also visual appealing documentary pictures. Now, on Monday, 14 January, 2013, the Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) opens his outstanding solo exhibition: "Live Through This: Photographs by Tony Fouhse".

Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG), Ottawa

Tony Fouhse encounters a wide range of people through the course of his photographic works, including drug addicts in Ottawa's Lowertown, the subject of his renowned "User" series. So, in 2010 he met Stephanie MacDonald, a heroin addict. She asked him for help to get clean. And he did something that most photographers would never do: He stepped outside the boundaries of documentation to get involved. And he actually helped her.

For his upcoming exhibit, Fouhse selected 41 photographs from the thousands he took of Stephanie. They will be impressive for sure. Stephanie's drug addiction, and the steps she took to alter her life's course are captured with his lens in a documentary but also caring way. 

Tony Fouhse: Yvon, Ottawa, 2007, digital photograph on paper (in the exhibition: "Place and Circumstance", City Hall Art Gallery, 2011). This photo belongs to a series about crack addicts in Ottawa; and impressed me a lot when I saw it in the 2011 exhibit. 

The opening takes place on January 14th at CUAG from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. Tony Fouhse will be present.


Facts:
Carleton University Art Gallery CUAG
Live Through This: Photographs by Tony Fouhse
14 January - 17 March 2013
http://cuag.carleton.ca/index.php/exhibitions/upcoming/

Happy New Art Year

Happy New Year to all my readers! May 2013 be filled with exciting exhibitions, challenging art events, and eye-opening artists' talks...

International contemporary art highlights will be for sure these biennials:

In  March 2013 the 11th edition of the Sharjah Biennial opens, in June the 55th Venice Biennale, in September the 13th Istanbul Biennial, and also the fifth Moscow Biennale. It will be an exciting year in the contemporary art world.

But I'm pretty sure that Ottawa will have its highlights too! I will let you know.

Eye Level - Photos by Children

Exhibition view Exposure Gallery

A unique approach: Photographs by children (from toddler to teenager)! Exposure Gallery shows very interesting photos by kids who share their view of the world. The photos are impressing in their originality in terms of perspective and subject matter. Children are also unhindered by notions of composition and, so, their photographs often express directly how they perceive their world.

Exhibition view Exposure Gallery

Exhibition view Exposure Gallery

Facts:

Eye Level
Exposure Gallery
October 4 -30, 2013
http://www.exposuregallery.info/eye-level-show/

Exhibition view Exposure Gallery

“Ascension” By Terry SanCartier

"Ascension", Exhibition view, Exposure Gallery, Ottawa

Geometric shapes, sharp lines, unusual views: Photographs by Ottawa photographer Terry SanCartier – like the seemingly never ending spiral staircase inspired by nature in Barcelona – are rather representation than documentation. That's why they perfectly correspond to the Festival X’s theme of “Otherwise Than Seeing: Photograph, Image, Representation”.

Today is the last day to visit the exhibition at Exposure Gallery that shows places all over the world that had inspired the photographer.

"Ascension", Exhibition view, Exposure Gallery, Ottawa

Some of them remind me at the German movement of the 1920s “Neues Sehen” (New Vision), with their unexpected framings and the use of high and low camera angles. Like the artist says: “At first glance, photographs from this exhibit may suggest the obvious but on closer enquiry, another interpretation may be evident. [...] Can the viewer grasp the unseen?”

"Ascension", Exhibition view, Exposure Gallery, Ottawa

  
Facts: 
Ascension By Terry SanCartier
Exposure Gallery
June 28 to October 2, 2012
http://www.exposuregallery.info/exhibitions/terry-sancartier/

  

Regarding the Barcelona photographs on the right side: "Does the staircase lead to the upper floors of a museum and thus transport one to a place of higher learning?" asks Terry.