08.18.08
Posted in Painting at 11:05 am by webmaster
Galerie Luz is currently presenting a series of canvases by Hoda Ackad titled Portraits.
Ackad paints portraits of iconic figures which have inspired her; among her “virtual mentors” are Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keefe, Andy Warhol, Alfred Stieglitz and Coco Chanel. I particularly like Ackad’s large-format works. Her minimal, spontaneous brushstrokes capture the expression of her subjects as though she had been in the same room with them.
Galerie Luz
space 418
Hoda Ackad
Portraits
exhibition period: July 30 - August 16, 2008
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08.15.08
Posted in Drawing, Photography, Sculpture and Installation, Film and Video at 12:47 pm by webmaster
Many galleries are closed in the Belgo for the month of August - but not all! Here are my favourite four artworks on show in the Belgo’s galleries this week:
Left: Chih-Chien Wang, Galerie Pierre-François Ouellete Art Contemporain,
Right: Rob Bos, Visual Voice Art Gallery
Right: Daniel Jackson, Galerie Projex-Mtl,
Left: Mike Patten, Visual Voice Art Gallery
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08.14.08
Posted in Photography, Sculpture and Installation at 2:09 pm by webmaster
Launching tonight at the Visual Voice Art Gallery is the exhibition Lost and Found featuring work by Rob Bos and Mike Patten.
Patten creates elegant visual puns which catch you unawares. His modified “Exit” sign, for example, gets an existentialist twist by simply adding an “s”. It takes most people a few moments to catch on. I also love the two black doors which are perforated with tiny holes. There’s a light source inside the doors, turning them into a night sky as the light twinkles through. I guess the universe is flat.
Bos’ work harmonizes nicely with Patten’s; both artists share the same subtle humour. Bos created a series of small “word paintings” which he then installed in various locales all over the city and photographed. The words and short phrases of the paintings create a tension with their immediate environment, sometimes making a comment, sometimes creating a paradox.
Visual Voice Art Gallery
space 421
Rob Bos & Mike Patten
Lost and Found
exhibition period: August 14 - 23, 2008
www.visualvoicegallery.com
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08.12.08
Posted in Review at 3:44 pm by webmaster
I knew the Belgo Building was a nexus of contemporary art, but I had no idea how many artists who have had shows in the Belgo recently are now featured at the Québec Triennial at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.
Every room I strolled through I kept going “I just saw this at Joyce Yahouda, I just saw this at Roger Bellemare, I just saw this at Pierre François Ouellette, …” The Belgo Report only launched at the beginning of this year and already reviewed seven artists who now have their work in the Triennial:
Patrick Bernatchez, Michel de Broin, Adad Hannah, Michael Merrill, Carlos et Jason Sanchez, Chih-Chien Wang, and Etienne Zack. I didn’t get around to reviewing Isabelle Hayeur and Adrian Norvid yet, but they are also showing in the Belgo.
All this to say that if you don’t want to wait around for three years until the next MAC Triennial, just drop by the Belgo once in a while!
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08.08.08
Posted in Photography, Painting at 3:57 pm by webmaster
Here are my favourite four artworks currently on show in the Belgo building:
Left: Lawrence Beck, Projex-Mtl, Right: Lewis Stein, Projex-Mtl
Left: Chih-Chien Wang, Pierre-François Ouellette Art Contemporain,
Right: Hoda Ackad, Gallery Luz
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08.06.08
Posted in Photography, Painting at 3:29 pm by webmaster
The owners of the Projex-Mtl Gallery pulled out some of their favourite works of art for their current summer group exhibit. On show are works by Lawrence Beck, Yves Bouliane, Daniel Jackson, Louis Joncas, Thomas Kneubühler, Richard Lanctôt, and Lewis Stein.
Thomas Kneubühler
I was glad to see another work by Kneubühler - Thomas used to be my studio neighbour a few years ago, and I always liked the approach he took to his work. He really works his concepts through and there’s always an interesting back-story to each project. Projex-Mtl are showing a photograph from his recent Private Property series. Kneubühler questions the concept of private versus public property, and there is a subtle focus on signals and demarkations that comes through in this atmospheric work.
Projex-Mtl Gallery
space 212
Lawrence Beck, Yves Bouliane, Daniel Jackson, Louis Joncas, Thomas Kneubühler, Richard Lanctôt, Lewis Stein
Summer Group Show
exhibition dates: August 6 - 30, 2008
www.projex-mtl.com
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08.04.08
Posted in Photography, Film and Video at 10:04 am by webmaster
Make sure you check out the work of Chih-Chien Wang, currently on display at Pierre-François Ouellette Art Contemporain.
I was captivated by the quiet poetry of Wang’s work. He photographs staged details such as a collection of discarded pea-pod ends, or, my favourite, the mildly silly “Tissue #5, Topped with Tofu on a Pillow”. Wang has a knack for bringing out the sensuality of the materials he images (for example the softness of the pillow, the tissue, and the tofu). Wang’s three videos continue his examination of detail, time, and process. They are calming and utterly absorbing. I loved watching the close-up of someone writing calligraphy, shot through a light-box, so the characters seem to appear out of nowhere. Even watching the video loop of a busy intersection in the rain was strangely relaxing. Repetition, an exacting eye, and some Asian flair can lend a special magic to the most insignificant details.
Pierre-François Ouellette Art Contemporain
space 216
Chih-Chien Wang
Time has Hollows
exhibition period: July 19 - August 23, 2008
www.pfoac.com
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08.01.08
Posted in Photography, Painting, Sculpture and Installation at 2:14 pm by webmaster
Here are my favourite four artworks currently on show in the Belgo building:
Sorel Cohen, Galerie David Browne
Left: Suzanne Déry, Galerie Lilian Rodriguez
Right: Kristy Boisvert & Samantha Scafidi, Visual Voice Art Gallery
Marie-Reine Mattera & Emanuelle Joly, sas gallery
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07.30.08
Posted in Photography, Painting, Drawing at 8:58 am by webmaster
The Visual Voice Art Gallery has turned into a room-sized travel-log. Artists Kristy Boisvert and Samantha Scafidi exhibit a collection of paintings, sketches, and photographs created during their recent trip to Ireland in their exhibition titled Sincerely, Ireland.
The artwork on display varies so much in style, medium and format, that you get the impression this is a group show of seven artists. My favourite paintings are the long, horizontal panoramas of the steep Cliffs of Moher, they capture Ireland’s Tolkienesque landscape perfectly. The whole gallery has been painted green for the occasion, and artists Scafidi and Boisvert promise jam sandwiches for the vernissage, since this is pretty much all they ate during their trip. Erin guh brawk.
Visual Voice Art Gallery
space 421
Kristy Boisvert and Samantha Scafidi
Sincerely, Ireland
exhibition period: July 31 - August 6, 2008
vernissage: July 31, 2008, 6pm - 9pm
www.visualvoicegallery.com
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07.28.08
Posted in Photography, Sculpture and Installation at 8:18 am by webmaster
Galerie Donald Browne has just launched its summer exhibition Blood Sweat and Tears, featuring artworks by Paul Bureau, Michel de Broin, Sorel Cohen, Charles Stankievech and Eve K. Tremblay.
Donald Browne has a knack for curating exhibits with an implied narrative, and this show is no exception. A good example is the series of photographs by Michel de Broin and Eve K. Tremblay titled Honeymoons, which allows glimpses of a young couple frolicking in the woods. Pink panties around the ankles, ropes strung across trees, a shrouded figure sitting on a cooler - each image hides as much as it reveals. The old tale of Adam and Eve is retold by these two artists using a new array of symbols and visual associations. Though I prefer de Broin’s sculptural works, it’s interesting to see his twisted humor come through in this collaboration.
Galerie Donald Browne
space 524
Paul Bureau, Michel de Broin, Sorel Cohen, Charles Stankievech, and Eve K. Tremblay
Blood Sweat and Tears
exhibition period: July 22 - August 30, 2008
www.galeriedonaldbrowne.com
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