Atticus Gordon, Networked Sublime (diptych), 2023, oil on canvas, 122 x 246 cm, courtesy of the artist
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Atticus Gordon, Megan Kyak-Monteith, Alex Sutcliffe - A Glimmering Feel Towards the Now
February 23 to May 12, 2024
Opening: Friday, February 23, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Access is limited to the Laurier Avenue entrance.
Artists’ tour: Sunday, May 12, 2 pm
Free admission. Presented in English.
Megan Kyak-Monteith, Playing in My Father's Burning Lawn, 2018, oil on canvas, 109 x 114 cm, courtesy of the artist
Alex Sutcliffe, Peering, 2023, acrylic, ink and diffusion generated imagery UV printed on aluminum composite, 122 x 152 cm, courtesy of the artist
Exhibition documentation images
Exhibition booklet [ PDF – 3.3 MB]
The paintings in A Glimmering Feel Towards the Now use technology while remaining rooted in a history of painting to articulate the connected nature of our world. All three painters work in gestures: brushstrokes on the canvas that connect the work to a vast history of painting through direct art historical references. An extensive amount of information is packed within the compositions, urging the viewer to move through the paintings in layers, unpacking each part and understanding our place within the world building that takes place via pigment.
Spirals, circles, and repetition guide the eye throughout the show—cyclical elements that hint at a non-linear depiction of history: the nostalgic and slightly out-of-reach aspect of Kyak-Monteith’s compositions; the nesting boxes of forms and figures within Gordon’s paintings that necessitate a turn of the head to view at all angles; the slow unveiling of Alex Sutcliffe’s abstractions and how they oscillate from soft and gentle strokes to angular, modern forms. Each evokes the desire to see the paintings from all angles—getting close to the artwork, turning your head, zooming in—to better understand the process.
- Excerpt by Tatum Dooley
Biographies
Atticus Gordon (b. 1995, Ottawa) is an emerging painter and installation artist working between Chicago and Ottawa. Atticus completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Ottawa in 2019 and is currently a Master of Fine Arts Candidate at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited his work in North America and Europe, including Berlin, Chicago, Detroit, Montréal, Toronto, Halifax and Ottawa. His paintings can be seen in public collections in Ottawa and Montréal.
Megan Kyak-Monteith (b. 1997, Mittimatalik/Pond Inlet) is an emerging artist residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She graduated from NSCAD University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, specializing in drawing and painting. She works as a freelance illustrator for children’s books and magazine articles and continues to paint from her home in Halifax. Her work has appeared in Inuit Art Quarterly and Inuktitut Magazine and a series of children’s books, The Nunavummi Reading Series.
Alex Sutcliffe (b. 1997, Chicago), Bachelor of Fine Arts (2020) NSCAD University, is an emerging visual artist based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Alex was born and raised in Chicago before moving to Ottawa at 11 years old. He has exhibited his work throughout Halifax, Ottawa, and Toronto including the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Art/Toronto, and the Anna Leonowens Gallery. His approach emphasizes painting’s illusionary qualities through a focus on surface, texture, and layering processes.
Atticus Gordon gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Ontario Arts Council.
Alex Sutcliffe gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Tracey-Mae Chambers – #hopeandhealingcanada
May 30 to August 18, 2024
Opening: Thursday, May 30, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Access is limited to the Laurier Avenue entrance.
Artist tour: Sunday, August 18, 2 pm
Free admission. Presented in English.
Tracey-Mae Chambers, #hopeandhealingcanada (installation view at Canada Agricultural and Food Museum), 2023, silk strips, wool, acrylic yarn, cotton yarn, steel hoop, variable dimensions, courtesy of the artist
Tracey-Mae Chambers, #hopeandhealingcanada, 2023, silk strips, wool, acrylic yarn, cotton yarn, variable dimensions, courtesy of the artist
Since July 2021 I have created over 100 installations at residential school historical sites, museums, art galleries and other public spaces. Many of these spaces serve to present a colonial viewpoint and primarily speak about the settlers who arrived and lived here, but not the Indigenous people that were displaced along the way. The installations are constructed with red wool, silk or cotton yarn that has been crocheted, knit or woven. Red is the colour of blood. Red is the slur against Indigenous people. Red is the colour of passion and anger, danger and power, courage and love. I am hoping to bridge the gap between settlers and First Nations, Métis and Inuit people by creating art that is approachable and non-confrontational and starting a conversation about decolonization and reconciliation.
- Interpretive text by Tracey-Mae Chambers
Biography
I grew up as a stranger to my own story; adopted and re-named, grafted into a new family tree. The discovery in adulthood of my Metis heritage was a revelation that set me on a path of discovery. I often work in the powerful tradition of the vessel as a metaphor for individuals; we fill and re-fill ourselves throughout life to create our own story. My developing story as an indigenous heritage woman and her quest for harmony with the natural world. I am a proud member of the Métis Nation of Ontario. My ancestors are from the Drummond Island community as well as Mackinac Island. www.traceymae.com
The artist gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Ontario Arts Council.
Egils Rozenbergs – Signs of the Time
August 29 to November 24, 2024
Opening: Thursday, August 29, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Access is limited to the Laurier Avenue entrance.
Egils Rozenbergs, Signs of the Time from the series Scars, 2020, tapestry, wool, linen, polyester, mixed technique, 220 x 240 cm, courtesy of the artist
Signs of the Time reveals marks and symbols of our changing and dynamic times. Egils Rozenbergs reflects on intricate interrelations between civilizational, technological marks and timeless nature. Patterns in sand shaped by the perpetual movement of sea waves, recognizable designs of civilizations, imprints left by humans in nature – these are "stories" woven into tapestries by the artist in a variety of styles, weaving techniques, fibres and materials.
City of Ottawa Art Collection – 2024 Additions
December 5, 2024 to February 23, 2025
Opening: Thursday, December 5, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Access is limited to the Laurier Avenue entrance.
This exhibition features a selection of artworks added to the City of Ottawa Art Collection in 2024 through purchase, donation and commission. Artworks from the City’s Collection are on display in over 170 municipal buildings and spaces across the city.
2024 Exhibitions Peer assessment committee members
Gabriela Avila-Yiptong, Claudia Gutierrez, Carl Stewart