Upcoming: Dagmara Genda and Jay Wilson

My holiday reading has included John Roberts' The Intangibilities of Form, in which he discusses the role of labour, skill and "de-skilling" in contemporary art. Fitting then, that with Jay Wilson and Dagmara Genda, the 2012 exhibition schedule at KWT contemporary opens with work that is so  labour-intensive, so skilled, and frankly, so beautiful, that it makes my heart ache. Spinning straw into gold, each of these artists takes humble material as inspiration (paper and ink for Genda, and toothpicks and orange peels for Wilson), and through their skill and transformational vision, elevates the everyday to the extraordinary.

Jay Wilson, "Yes. Yes. Try Less." and Dagmara Genda "Tracing Tomorrow" opens on Jan. 12.

If you saw our booth at The Toronto International Art Fair a couple of months ago, you'll no doubt have a vivid visual memory for Wilson's tall "stalagmite" or tower built of toothpicks, and Genda's remarkably detailed large scale drawing. Click here for our earlier post with installation shots. Here is a close-up of the tower under construction:

Jay Wilson: JayAlbertNandiniDrewMarkEmmaJesseCynthiaManojMattAngelaShelleyHowardKathleenChris
HeatherBrentKatherineLauraGwenMeilMalloryLilyanMatthiewEdithMartynaMoira (detail) toothpicks, white glue; 98cmx415cmx102cm

 And here is the Genda drawing we showed at TIAF, followed by a close-up detail:

Dagmara Genda: 
UNTITLED (wallpaper) (2009) mac-tac, acrylic, pen and ink; 60x 48in (sold)

A very close detail of Genda's "UNTITLED (wallpaper)"


Here is a teaser of what is to come in their upcoming solo exhibitions:

Jay Wilson: no title for this work yet. It is a small sculpture, made of toothpicks cast in solid sterling silver.

A frustratingly small image of a very large drawing by Dagmara Genda.
PALACE WITH FLESH AND HAIR (2010), latex paint, pen and ink, paper, 60x48in

More info., and images, to come...


"Yes. Yes. Try Less" and "Tracing Tomorrow" will open on January 12, 2012, and run until February 19, 2012. Opening Reception Thursday Jan 12 fro 6 to 8 at KWT contemporary.