A Glimpse, A Fragment, A Memory Brought To Life

The way we perceive sights and moments in our lives that have an emotional impact on us can be translated into artistic expressions in countless ways. In this exhibition, artists portray the ways in which memories of what we have perceived form in our minds, oscillating between blurred and blotted shapes, and details in sharp focus. Exploring different angles and even different facets of a subject appearing simultaneously, these artists creatively show how we see the world, and how that view can be shaped by our unique insights and emotional states.

For some artists in this exhibition, the focus of their artwork is an isolated texture, linework, or shapes that have enchanted them, though the catalyst for the creation of the artwork might have been rooted in a very tangible lived moment. In Leslie Hossack’s Flannel Suits, for example, the tactility and visual play of pattern captured in childhood memories of her father’s flannel suits in the 1950s is brought to life and abstracted in her bold digital painting. In Élie Crighton’s Papa, the distortion of her father’s reflection in a kitchen pot is the subject of the artwork. Crighton’s painting shows us a lively and humorous glimpse of her father’s likeness, and an exploration of an optical illusion that we see in our homes every day.

These glimpses, with textures and colours enhanced by the artist’s vision, offer us a reminder to value not only the imagery that leaves lasting impressions on us, but the ways that we impress onto those images in return. The artwork on display in this exhibition invites the viewer to take part in the curiosity that drew the artist to the subject and invites the viewer to linger on the details that have come to the surface.

Artists:

Sue Adams, Siobhan Arnott, Heather Assaf, Sue Bailie, Sophie Blechinger, Donna Brown, Elle Chae, Élie Crighton, Peter Cunningham, Emilie Darlington, Chantal Gervais, Colette Gréco-Riddle, Sylvie Grenier, Claudia Gutierrez, Nancy Halpin, Madeleine Kline, Lea Hamilton, Susan Hodgson, Leslie Hossack, Dominic Laporte, Suzan Mandla, Justin Millar, Kareem Mitchell, Linh Nguyen, Lilith Ohan, Sanjeev Sivarulrasa, Beth Stikeman, Susan Ukkola, Munea Wadud, David Wentzel, and Karen Wynne Mackay.

Curated by: Siobhan Locke