This month has been an abbreviated version of a month. I’ve curated my first exhibition here in Paris alongside Teresa Ranchino that I’ll write about a bit more when it’s finished up. November had a lot on the go with art fairs and chilly weather. Some notable fairs outside of Art Basel were NADA, Paris Internationale, and Offscreen (probably my favourite of the three as it was held in a parking garage. Nothing better than walking up and down the ramps without the fear of a car coming around the corner). Art Basel was interesting but the majesty of the Grand Palais seemed to outshine whatever art was in the temporary white rooms which had been set up around the venue. I spent most of my time looking at the impressive glass ceiling, and the wrought iron/steel structure. There seemed to be archetypes of the different categories of visitors roaming the event - older, well dressed men and women wearing an incredible amount of layers for an event that was indeed quite toasty. Usually with a slight glow to their skin, because of the residual tan they keep, as well as the champagne they so often imbibe. The people watching was a 10/10. The art on the other hand, felt replaceable or just not as impressive as the art at the surrounding fairs. Something about the lighting, the presentation, felt stale. NADA and Paris Internationale had things to offer that I felt made the art a bit more approachable and the galleries less stuffy. It was an interesting foray into the Fair scene, a necessary function to get eyes on art and get art into hands!
Diving in below!
»
Whatever the case, or use case that this newsletter might hold, I can only hope that it helps expand your knowledge and love of art.
I’ve been a bit slugged with a few different projects on the go right now so I’m keeping this months MT shorter than the rest (we’re already six days into November kindathing). Apologies to any readers from down south, the news this morning is unfortunate and it seems the world is in a bit of a shi[f]t mode again. History repeats itself, but I guess it's a bit quicker than usual this time. Besides all of that - I’d like to take a look at an artist that I happened upon through Gallery Two Seven Two’s Instagram the other day. The artist is Zoe Ann Cardinal Cire and the show is called "Beading Around the Bush”. I’ll include the exhibition text below as well as a bio on Cire. Unable to see these works in person, I can only do so much but relay how they make me feel or why they caught my attention. The pieces, which focus on communication, familial history, and cultural history, each tell stories. Perhaps it’s the use of beads or the subtle paint strokes that evoke a sense of transparency. Not transparency in the sense of an intimate understanding of what the artist is trying to communicate, but perhaps the physical representation of a fleeting memory. The balance between the here and now and then and there is struck perfectly in Cire’s works. There is a conversation that Cire is having within these pieces and the viewer can grasp so much of it - it creates a familiarity with our own memories or a reminder to remember but the dialogue Cire is engaged in is uniquely her own.
»
| BIO
(b. 1998, Ponoka, Alberta) is a visual artist born and raised on Treaty 6 territory of central Alberta who brings together material sensibilities from her paternal Métis and maternal Beaver Lake Cree Nation lineages. Her works engage conversations which oscillate between the terrains of paint, beads and textiles, focusing on place and enlivening material associations. Cire holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Emily Carr University (Vancouver), and Master of Fine Art from Yale University (USA) where she received the Blair Dickinson Memorial Prize. Her works have been presented in exhibitions at the Native American Cultural Center (New Haven), Burnaby Art Gallery (British Columbia), Seymour Art Gallery (North Vancouver), HOEA Gallery (Gisborne, NZ), David Castillo (Miami) and Franz Kaka (Toronto). (c/o TwoSevenTwo Gallery)
An artist who I’ve been admiring for a while is Trevor Bourke. I think friend of the show, Philippe Bourdeau aka salutcowboy put me onto his work a few years ago, most likely… Bourke’s art has a transcendent quality to it. It communicates with the eyes as much as it communicates with the atoms that make up the viewer. I fee like ‘transcendent’ gets tossed around a lot when describing art or performance but I use this term with a caveat. The caveat being the paintings that Bourke produces connect with me, on an atomic level. I know what I’m looking at - a painting - colours, shapes, forms, etc. but the invitation I get from the art isn’t sent to my brain, it’s sent straight to my chest. Almost like a primordial sensation similar to deja-vu. It takes me somewhere familiar to a place I’ve never been but know exists. The composition of the paintings elicit this through their masterful production; layers of imagery and ideas that explode from a central point. No matter where you point your gaze at the painting, you’re met with something solid enough to investigate and intrigue that stands alone but draws itself freely throughout the narrative of the painting - not necessarily stopping or starting but living in an atom-like relation to the space around it.
Trevor’s exhibition, Collapse is currently on display at Galerie Nicholas Robert in Montréal from Nov. 7th - December. 21st - Check it out if you’re in Montréal. Also check out a previous show of his, The Tiler at Afternoon Projects in Vancouver.
»
BIO
Collapse is a new body of work by Trevor Bourke. In this series of paintings, Bourke continues exploring the arrangements of multiplicity and simultaneity while investigating structures of natural and spiritual systems to generate new assemblages inspired by the velocity of mass in space. Bourke’s blend of abstraction and figuration explores deeply felt, embodied experiences, translating the push and pull of sensation—expansion and contraction—onto the painted surface. Through a mix of diverse elements and visual data, Bourke creates tension-filled scenes where structures emerge. These compositions appear both open and controlled, as the materials transform into images that reflect his imagination. Here, subjects are not simply represented but captured through the multiple forces in the act of becoming. For Bourke, painting reconciles the freedom of imagination by moving beyond the dominant culture of commodities and media, creating something uniquely alternative. Trevor Bourke lives and works in Montreal and holds a BFA from Concordia University. His recent solo exhibitions include Afternoon Projects (Vancouver), Galerie Nicolas Robert (Montreal), Bruises Gallery (Montreal), Elysian Hydraulics (Utah), Truck Rally Gallery (Montreal), and Hans Gallery (Chicago). He has also participated in group exhibitions at Pangée (Montreal) and Projet Casa (Montreal).
»
See you
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.