Opening
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Artist Present
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Jennifer Long’s Portrait series explores the process of memory and its connection to photography and the souvenir. Hair and photographic mementos are objects of touch, sight and remembrance, which have the ability to hold the essence of a loved one long after they or the moment has passed. Inspired by conversation, Long began collecting locks of hair from women in her community. Arranging and sculpting the strands into still lifes of movement and gesture, the resulting imagery (44”x36” colour inkjets) reference drawing and mourning jewelry while dialoguing on issues of identity, portraiture, and the question of beauty.

Jennifer Long’s artistic practice focuses on issues of doubt, vulnerability, domesticity, and communication, within the context of interpersonal relationships. This semi-autobiographical work uses constructed narratives to explore the emotions and quiet moments of everyday life. Touch, gesture and gaze all play significant roles in her work as conduits of conscious and unconscious modes of communication.

Opening
In Gallery 2
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Artist Present
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For the past thirty years the work of Toronto based artist April Hickox has centered on passages of time, memory, experience and the role of women. Her most recent exhibition entitled Ritual is a suite of seven photographs of different copper kettles that date back a century and a half. By isolating each kettle, the artist emphasizes its uniqueness, making us aware of its dents, burns, shape and variation in color. In doing so she suggests that each object has a history and a narrative that extends beyond the photographic frame.

The kettles photographed for this exhibition were owned by women who migrated to Canada from Finland and Sweden. These types of kettles would have been central to family gatherings, the last thing packed up when moving and the first thing to be used in the new home. There is a physicality to them, a history of manufacture and functionality, whether hammered by hand or produced industrially. Tools, dishes, and found objects appeal because they fit within a context of domestic comfort. There is a grammar to these “things” and a relationship with the handler that is both pleasing and routine. Objects can be well designed, artful and valuable, but when viewed in context they speak to each other, comment and participate in a cultural dialogue which, if the viewer is patient, can be amusing and rewarding.

The works in Ritual are both personal and formal. They present an undeniable beauty achieved through the exploration of simplified forms, while simultaneously commenting on the personal histories of the objects, and more importantly, the women who owned them.