Papier12: Next Week in Montreal

There is a nice article by John Pohl in the Montreal Gazette about Papier12, which will take place next week.

It has been my pleasure to get to know Emilie Grandmont-Bérubé in the past year, and as a gallerist, I concur with her philosophy:

"It’s the job of a gallery owner to find art that suits a potential buyer – even if the search leads to another establishment, says Emilie Grandmont-Bérubé, co-owner of Galerie Trois Points."

The article goes on to say:

"Next weekend the search will be considerably easier, as Papier 12 gathers 38 galleries representing more than 400 artists into one temporary structure at Bleury St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd., just off the northwest corner of Place des Festivals.

As the name suggests, Papier 12 features works on paper – usually the least expensive art you can buy. And Papier 12, which has no admission charge, is all about accessibility, added Grandmont-Bérubé, who is also treasurer of the organization behind the art fair, the Contemporary Art Galleries Association (AGAC).

Six of Toronto’s best private art galleries have booths at Papier 12."

We are happy to be one of those six galleries from Toronto! I for one would very much enjoy seeing more cross-fertilization between the Toronto and Montreal art scenes. We had a wonderful experience last year showing Alexis Lavoie and David Lafrance, and several of our artists have Montreal connections, either by birth, current or past residency, or via Concordia, McGill or UQAM.

Read more here

and visit the Papier12 website

KWTcontemporary will be showing work by the following artists:

Sean Martindale, Lauren Nurse, Dagmara Genda, Moira Clark, Daryl Vocat, Liz Parkinson, Pearl Van Geest and David Lafrance.

 Watch for more posts from Papier12 next week.

Sean Martindale, "Nature", 2011, c-print.

(Image of the temporary installation of Martindale's sculpture built of reclaimed cardboard, and briefly displayed on a garbage day last spring in a neighbourhood in Toronto's West End.)

Lease Expiry

Our lease has expired and we've had to leave our space at 624 Richmond West. What a joy it has been to have 2400 sq. ft  and multiple levels at my disposal: so unusual for a gallery in the downtown core, and perfectly suited to programming double and triple solo shows with inter-related themes. Sad, but such is the ebb and flow of urban development. When Crate 'n' Barrel and Joe Fresh move in, you know that the days of the galleries are numbered.

Moos Gallery will be leaving as well. Walter Moos has been in the business for 52 years, and on Richmond for 13 years. He's remarkable gentleman, and it's been an honour to be his neighbour.

We'll be in Montreal in next week, with a booth at Papier 12. I am looking forward to blogging from our rented apartment in Mile End!

Sean Martindale: Hancock Lecture Podcast

 

TVO filmed Sean Martindale's Hancock Lecture at the University of Toronto's Hart House this past October.  It was aired a couple of weeks ago on TVO's "Big Ideas", and is now available as a podcast.

Sean is a thoroughly engaging, thought provoking, and generous speaker. I think you'll find that watching this podcast is 52 minutes extremely well spent.

Dary Vocat and Prof. Ken Moffatt In Conversation: March 24

KWT contemporary presents

Daryl Vocat and Prof. Ken Moffatt
In Conversation

A discussion and Q and A
featuring
Daryl Vocat, artist
and
Ken Moffatt, Ph.D.,
 "Troubled Masculinities: Reimagining Urban Men"
Saturday, March 24, 1 pm
(No charge for admission, but you must reserve a spot.)
RSVP
here
 

Daryl Vocat, What One Does to Another (2012),  Etching on Somerset paper, editon of 10; 10" x 12"

Now showing in the Lower Gallery:
Daryl Vocat: "One Continuous Mistake"

"I use Boy Scout imagery to discuss behavioural norms, sexuality, and the construction of masculinity. These boys exist in the space between how they are expected to behave, and how they want to behave. They fumble through moral experiments while haphazardly staking out their own territory. These characters imitate the world, images and scenarios surrounding them."
Daryl Vocat thanks Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council for their support.
Daryl Vocat is represented by KWT contemporary.

Fiona Crangle, Lucy (2011) ,  oil on canvas, 40" x 60"

Now showing in the Upper Gallery
Fiona Crangle: "Be Prepared"

"It was the overlapping iconography of "sainting" and "scouting" that initiated this body of work: hagiographic symbols litter the insignia, motifs and especially the badges of the world of scouts and guides.  The trials and stages of each saint's quest towards ultimate goodness can be mapped out via an accumulation of scouting badges. The symbols that throughout art history have visually identified each saint - originally for an illiterate audience- are also found in the Catalogue of Scouting Honours. But the similarity does not stop at the symbolic; both these young female saints and Girl Guides are in pursuit of a goal of self betterment, moving toward an ideal vision/version of themselves through a series of challenges. And importantly, both groups are adolescents."
Fiona Crangle is represented by KWT contemporary

KWT contemporary is located at 624 Richmond St. West, at the corner of Bathurst, in Toronto.
Open noon-six, Wednesday through Saturday.


kwtcontemporary.com
e-mail

416-646-2706
 
Aurelie K. Collings, Director/Curator
Jessica Vallentin, Administrator
Kristyn Wong-Tam, Owner

Copping, DeMooy at Inaugural Triennial, Art Gallery of Peterborough

The Art Gallery of Peterborough is celebrating their Inaugural Triennial, March 9 to April 29, 2012.

  Brad Copping and Caroline DeMooy have work included in the Triennial.

Brad Copping, Level Conversation, 2005, H 150 cm x D 11 cm x W 28 cm (variable)
glass, vinyl tubing, water

 Brad Copping, Raindays, 2001 H124 x W12 x D12cm
hotworked and carved glass, glass tubing, wood, metal leaf, brass

Caroline DeMooy: Reminiscence, 2011, oil on board, 54"x60"

Here's what Gil McElroy (March 20, 2012, Akimblog) has to say:

"Over at the Art Gallery of Peterborough, they’ve just opened their Inaugural Triennial Exhibition, focusing on Peterborough-area artists. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that, of course, if this show is at all representative of what’s happening aesthetically in the area, a heck of a lot of artists are working two-dimensionally. There are a lot of paintings and drawings here. So, as a minority-report kind of person, I’ll focus on some of the things – that is, the objects – in the show, like Brad Copping’s work. You could call him a glass artist, but that doesn’t really do justice to what he’s up to. Copping has two works included here, one of which is a wall-mounted piece entitled Level Conversation. It’s by no means a recent work, but still good to see. Two clear drinking glasses affixed to the wall at slightly different heights are connected with one another by a long clear tube the sags down to the floor and is filled with water. There’s water in the glasses as well, more in the slightly lower one, but the top of which is even with the water in the slightly higher glass. It’s a level, of course, a version of a working tool elegantly and simply reimagined. Kudos."

A Virtual Tour of Fiona Crangle's "Be Prepared"

In the Upper Gallery, Crangle's "Baroque" Series:

"Rufina", Agatha" and "Cecilia"

"Lucy" and "Catherine"

"Margaret"

"Casilda"

Three from the "Medieval" series, in the Mezzanine Gallery

From L to R: "Catherine", "Dorothy" and "Margaret"

And in the front window:

"Apollonia"

Go here for close-ups and further information.

Artist Statement:

"In art, the idea of human goodness is packaged and delivered to us as beauty. Saints, the definitive do-gooders, are rendered as exquisite creatures: glowingly beautiful, artfully posed, often adorned with arichness usually reserved for more worldly personas. During the Baroque period and especially in the hands of Zurbaran and Caravaggio, the paintings of these perfect young things mix desire with the desire to be good, creating a push/pull response in the viewer.  Allowing light and dark to fight for space on the canvas reflects the conflicting nature of the viewer's response.

It was the overlapping iconography of "sainting" and "scouting" that initiated this body of work: hagiographic symbols litter the insignia, motifs and especially the badges of the world of scouts and guides.  The trials and stages of each saint's quest towards ultimate goodness can be mapped out via an accumulation of scouting badges. The symbols that throughout art history have visually identified each saint - originally for an illiterate audience- are also found in the Catalogue of Scouting Honours. But the similarity does not stop at the symbolic; both these young female saints and Girl Guides are in pursuit of a goal of self betterment, moving toward an ideal vision/version of themselves through a series of challenges. And importantly, both groups are adolescents.

Adolescence is a short lived period of idealism. Physically, we are at our most ideal, like a young Greek kouros or kore, with lithe and supple bodies poised at the cusp of adulthood.  Emotionally, this is a time of black and white belief systems, of unshakeable idealism. The saints depicted in Be Prepared have been chosen because at the root of their stories they are defiantly stubborn in a way that only a teenager can be. They have made choices that no amount of forceful persuasion can sway. Most often their stories involve rebuffing the advances of a man that responds to their physical desirability- the ideal beauty of adolescence enhanced by their innate goodness that polishes it to perfection.  This holds true to images of adolescents today- their ripening beauty compels us to stare and in fact demands it.  And yet the gaze that returns ours is aggressive and challenging, masking an uncertain reaction to the invitation to become a sexual being. The contemporary faces of the girls used for the blended Girl Guide- saints in Be Prepared are armoured with a modern belligerence.... Look, but don't touch."

-Fiona Crangle (January, 2012)

Virtual Tour of Daryl Vocat's "One Continuous Mistake"

 As you enter the gallery:

 "Silent Signals" (2012),  aluminum, 22"x44"

 "We Never Fear or Falter", (2012), aluminum, 443"x25"

 

"Who are you!" (2011) aluminum, 43"x30"

  

"Prints-on-a-roll" (2011) silk screen on craft paper, industrial paper dispenser: a series of three repeating prints in an edition of 100 each

 

"From Being to Becoming" (2012), aluminum, 38"x35"

  

"What Obligation Do They Carry?" (2012) aluminum, 42"x21"

Four Archival ink jet prints on baryta paper, edition of 3, 36"x36", as follows, from top clockwise:

"Wearing the Leash of the Universal Contimuum"

"Awaiting Certainty While Contemplating an Inner Situation"

"Performing the Ritual of Dampening the Poisoners"

""The Incantations of Becoming a Better Person"

 

 

 "...In Their Undershorts?" (2012) silk screened fabric, custom sewn, 52"x30"

 

"Playing the Game" (suite of 20 etchings) (2012) etching on Somerset paper, edition of 10

 

And lastly, in the front window:

"An Impressive Introduction" (2012) aluminum, 46"x23"

 

Click here to see close up images of the individual etchings and ink jet prints.

Exhibition is up through March 31, 2012

KWT contemporary

624 Richmond St West (at Bathurst) in Toronto, Canada

Hours: Wed-Sat, noon-6.

 

Review for Daryl Vocat's "One Continuous Mistake"

From the review by Chris Dupuis:

"Not Your typical Boy Scout" Xtra, Toronto, Friday, March 02, 2012

The exhibition’s title had less to do with the collection Vocat is presenting than his overarching experience of being an artist. Originally a reference to the process of lifelong learning through trial and error in Zen Buddhist practice, he found it an appropriate metaphor for his life’s work....

“As an artist, you just keep putting stuff out there, trying to make sense of it and hoping it will resonate with other people,” the York University graduate says. “I think if I keep making mistakes and keep carrying on it’s a good thing. I don’t want to pretend I have all the answers about my work. There’s a vulnerability I like in the idea.”

As with past works, Vocat also makes liberal use of Boy Scout iconography. Often taken directly from the organization’s handbooks, his iconically scarf-necked patch-sleeved boys cavort as they challenge behavioural norms, sexuality and constructs of masculinity. A 12-year Scout veteran himself (that’s Beavers to Ventures for those in the know), much of Vocat’s time growing up was spent within the organization’s fold...

“Once I was away from Scouting for a while I started to rethink what was taught,” he says. “I wanted to be critical of the more militaristic aspects of Scouting, but I am also appreciative of the better parts, like striving to be a good person, being generous and helping other people out.

“Growing up is a pretty loaded and turbulent time, so it only makes sense it’s pretty rich with possibility for art,” he adds. “I remember looking at those Scout handbooks and how pure everyone was. That seemed miles away from my experiences of nearly lighting our leader’s tent on fire and running around in the woods all night in our underwear.”

More

(We'll post installation shots soon!)

Jay Wilson on the role that craft plays in his practice

 

An interview with artist Jay Wilson about the role that craft plays in his practice.

Produced to accompany the exhibition 'The "C" Word: A Look at the Role of Craft in Contemporary Art' at the Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto Scarborough (February 8 - April 4, 2012).

(More)

Pearl Van Geest at Robert Langen Art Gallery

Better late than never...this exhibition closed last week, but for the record:

January 4 - February 11, 2012

Pearl Van Geest's exhibition "INTO PLACE" includes an interactive video projection and is linked to the Department of Philosophy at Wilfred Laurier University. Van Geest worked with Dr. Gary Foster and  presented a lecture for his course, The Philosophy of Sex, Love and Friendship. "INTO PLACE" explores concepts surrounding the human relationship to the physical and natural world. Through this interactive piece Van Geest invites viewers to  participate as collaborators in the creation of a large work that reflects ideas around love and desire and the potential consummation of this longing.

Some views of the installation follow:

KWT contemporary Celebrates First Birthday

The artists and staff (along with a few spouses and partners) recently celebrated the first anniversary of our re-launch with a dinner at the gallery. These pictures pretty much say it all...suffice it to say that I feel lucky indeed to be working with people like this.
A.K.C.

An Interview with Moira Clark

An interview with artist Moira Clark about the role that craft plays in her practice.

Moira Clark, Jay Wilson @ Doris McCarthy Gallery, Feb 8-April 4

The "C" Word 

Doris McCarthy Gallery

University of Toronto

Feb 8-April 4, 2012

 Jay Wilson, Floppy Foam Stack, 2011
Craft foam, bracket, 24 x 23 x 21 cm

Moira Clark, Livadia, 2001
Acrylic on canvas, 101.6 x 137 cm

Guest curated by Richard Mongiat

The "C" Word is a group exhibition exploring the role of craft in contemporary art, through the work of eighteen Canadian artists. Suggesting that “craft” sometimes carries negative connotations, the exhibition celebrates the making of things, drawing attention to the continued presence of craft in the work of well-known contemporary artists.
The artists selected for The "C" Word recognize that their production engages in craft—whether rejoicing in, re-framing, or battling against preconceived notions. Recognizing a diversity of approaches, the exhibition includes works in a range of media, including Gord Peteran’s furniture/sculpture hybrids, Sheila Gregory’s raucous paintings, Jay Wilson’s dollar-store-foam wall pieces, Gerard Gauci’s lush interior scenes, Moira Clark's geo-abstraction and Marianne Lovink’s quirky organic forms.  Central to the artists’ work is a love of the process, for the struggle of working with materials and transforming them into objects.
The exhibition is accompanied by a series of video interviews, in which each of the artists speaks about the role that craft plays in their practice, and a publication featuring texts by Shelley Adler, Richard Mongiat and Richard Rhodes. Both the videos and texts will also be accessible on the DMG website, as part of The "C" Word