News

Katie Bethune-Leamen, Broadbent Sisters, Daniel Griffin Hunt, Sanaz Mazinani, Sandy Plotnikoff, Mary Pratt, Cole Swanson, Catherine Telford-Keogh, Xiaojing Yan

Curated by: Ruth Jones and Sam Mogelonsky

May 12 – September 9, 2018
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa

Opening Reception: Friday, June 1, 7-10pm. Register for a free bus from Toronto.
Catalogue Launch: Saturday, June 9, 2-4pm. Register for a free bus from Toronto.

What happens when surfaces glitter, gleam, sparkle, and shine? In Glimmers of the Radiant Real, radiance, that quality of projected light we associate so often with the marvelous and the modern, is subverted by the relationship between the quality of a surface and what it covers, reflects, or contains. Surface is the point of contact for the body, it’s skin and texture and touch. The glistening, shining surfaces of works by Katie Bethune-Leamen, the Broadbent Sisters, Daniel Griffin Hunt, Sanaz Mazinani, Sandy Plotnikoff, Mary Pratt, Cole Swanson, Catherine Telford-Keogh, and Xiaojing Yan manipulate the viewer’s perception of dimension through reflections and refractions, thereby un-forming the object and making the familiar strange.

The artists and works featured in the exhibition use a variety of materials to generate these surface effects, from glass to gold, foil, plastic, and pearls. Each material has its own qualities of shine and reflection, and each combination of qualities reacts with a work’s source and subject to yield a different effect: gilded insect wings sketch a house’s morbid geography, material treatments upend expectations of form and colour, and dollar-store detritus, sunk in resin, seems to glow behind glass. For the viewer, the result is a combination of material familiarity and perceptual distortion.

In video, sculpture, photography, and installation, these works invite us to transform as they do, through interactions with surfaces that dazzle, using light to obscure or fracture the images and clarity we expect. They answer a craving for radiance, a desire to be like them, shining and seemingly limitless. They offer the promise of the object made new, but even if they speak in the same material language of the glittering and the precious, the modern, and the transcendent, they speak its opposite, too, a language of obscurity and disappearance, complicating the shining and ideal. They layer the surface substances that gloss the world we know, offering glimmers of a radiant reality where light becomes, not truth illuminated, but something else.

Fore more information, please visit glimmersoftheradiantreal.ca or rmg.on.ca
Special Events Celebrating Glimmers of the Radiant Real at the RMG:

Exhibition Opening during RMG Fridays: Pride

June 1, from 7-10pm
Celebrate Durham Region Pride Week and join us for a night of live music, film, art, and more that celebrate the vibrancy and resilience of queer creatives. Fronted by transgender LatinX songwriter Carolina Brown, I. M. Brown & The Transcendents fills out any room with their spacey experimental post-rock music. We’ll celebrate the opening of Glimmers of the Radiant Real and get creative with ALL the colours of the rainbow in the studio. Free to attend, cash bar.

Coming from Toronto? A free bus will depart from Mercer Union at 5:30pm and return to Mercer Union at 10pm following the event. Seating available by reservation, on a first come, first served basis. Book your spot today!

Catalogue Launch and Artists’ Talk
June 9, from 2-4pm (with ASL interpretation)

Join the artists and curators for a discussion surrounding the works and exhibition themes as we launch the catalogue for Glimmers of the Radiant Real. The full colour catalogue will include essays from curators Ruth Jones and Sam Mogelonsky, as well as guest contributor Vanessa Nicholas.
Coming from Toronto? A free bus will leave from Mercer Union at 1pm and return to Mercer Union at 5pm following the event. Seating available by reservation, on a first come, first served basis. Book your spot today!

Note: Mercer Union is located at 1286 Bloor St W, a short walk from Lansdowne Subway Station.

The Art of Gold: A Workshop with Cole Swanson

June 10, from 12-3pm
Exhibiting artist, Cole Swanson will introduce you to the historical process of gilding using gold leaf. With both traditional materials and fresh techniques, you will make metal gold leaf designs based on insect patterns and motifs. All materials included, no drawing skills required. $45 Members | $55 Non-Members. Register today!

OPG Second Sundays: Shiny not Grimy

June 10, from 1-3pm
An event for family fun! This month the art is going to sparkle. Create dazzling collages using the exhibition Glimmers of the Radiant Real for inspiration. OPG Second Sundays are made possible with the support of Ontario Power Generation.

Exhibition Tour for Glimmers of the Radiant Real:

Art Gallery of Peterborough: October 6, 2018 – January 6, 2019
McIntosh Gallery: January 17 – March 16, 2019

Please visit glimmersoftheradiantreal.ca or follow the exhibition on Instagram @radiantreal for more information about the artists, events and the tour.

We thank our sponsors, partners and donors for their continuing support and help in making the exhibition programming and this catalogue come to life. We are grateful to our sponsors Partners in Art, Burgundy Asset Management, and Ridgewood Capital Asset Management and to our media partner Akimbo Art Promotions, and our generous donors. We also acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery
72 Queen Street, Civic Centre, Oshawa, Ontario
905 576 3000 ex 109 | rmg.on.ca

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Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm
Thursday 10am – 9pm
Saturday 10am – 4pm
Sunday 12pm – 4pm

The Role of the Media – Saturday, May 20 at 1-2PM, PLUS Art Fair, Cotton Factory, Hamilton

Being an artist is one component of a larger equation, which includes the media. What role does it play in the artist’s career? From print to online, we explore the minds of those who see what others will see.

Sam Mogelonsky: AKIMBO
Mogelonsky specializes in promoting the visual arts, combining her art-world wisdom with her marketing and sponsorship acumen. She is presently the Director of Sales and Business Development for Akimbo Art Promotions – a Toronto-based online company that promotes contemporary visual art, video, new media and film locally, nationally and internationally. She has worked with arts organizations including The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Mercer Union, the Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum, the Red Head Gallery, the Union Gallery and Rearview Project(s). Sam is also a practicing artist and holds an MFA from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and a BFA from Queen’s University, with exhibits across Canada and internationally.

Sky Goodden: Editor MOMUS
Goodden is the founding editor of Momus, an international online art publication that stresses a return to art criticism. It has attracted over 500,000 readers, and regularly publishes some of the world’s most highly-regarded critics. Momus has been praised by peer publications and institutions including Frieze, The New Inquiry, artnet News, the College Art Association, and the LA Times. Goodden was the founding editor of BLOUIN ARTINFO Canada, which she ran from 2011 to 2014. She has written for Modern Painters, Art + Auction, Canadian Art, the National Post, Art21, artnet News, and C Magazine. She holds an MFA in Criticism & Curatorial Practice from OCAD University, which recently presented her with an Alumni of Influence Award, the “Trailblazer”.

FREE with admission – http://www.plusartfair.com/programming.html

Kind of forgot to update this news feed for the past 2 years apparently… Last night I told a few stories at Katzman Contemporary for the comedy event Contemporary Fart – thanks to all who came out and laughed!

As many people know, the Union Gallery – the student run gallery – at Queen’s University is going through a hard time.

For the last 19 years the Union Gallery has provided and experiential learning and career development opportunities for students at Queen’s through its contemporary visual arts programming. It is free and accessible to the campus, the broader Kingston community and visitors to Kingston.  However, it has been a very challenging year for the gallery financially.  Our main source of funding is through undergraduate student fees and this was cut off because we lost the student referendum by a margin of 28 votes. This resulted in a major cut to the gallery hours and program and next year looks even more grim. Last month, the AMS General Assembly on February 13th,  voted not to support our efforts to have the student reinstated for yet another year (this time we lost by 4 votes).  We have been told there is no appeal process.  It has now become clear that in order to survive we must seek other avenues of support.

Here is my letter of support. Please write your own!

To whom it may concern,

I was very disheartened by the AMS’s recent decision to drastically slash the Union Gallery’s funding. While I respect the democratic process for funding student organizations, the Union Gallery is an extremely valuable asset to Queen’s University and Kingston community. It should be allowed to appeal the decision and/or be given bridge funding until such time as a revised strategic development plan to secure a sustainable funding model for the future of the gallery can be presented.

I attended Queen’s University from 2002-2006, when I graduated with my BFAH. Following Queen’s, I completed my MFA from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, UK in 2007. I maintained an art practice in London and travelled with my work to France and Spain, before returning to my hometown of Toronto in 2010 and setting up an art practice here. I am the recipient of a 2013 Emerging Artist Grant from the Toronto Arts Council.

While studying at Queen’s, the Union Gallery was an important part of my university experience. It was my introduction into the professional practice of being an artist and I had my first show in a gallery space there in 2003. I exhibited at the Union every year during my BFA, culminating with my fourth year show (citations) in late 2005 with Lisa Visser and Sarah E. K. Smith. The show was a very important moment for all three of us, teaching us every step involved in the exhibition process. I still remember our exhibition opening and the enormous sense of pride I felt to be showing at the Union Gallery.

Since leaving Kingston, I have exhibited my work in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and France. I have recently exhibited at The Red Head Gallery (Toronto), The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery (St. John’s), The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Oshawa), The Living Arts Centre (Mississauga) and again at the Union Gallery. Having access to the professional quality experience at the Union Gallery from the beginning of my art education was critical and I still think of my early exhibitions there today when preparing for a show.

I also was involved with the Union Gallery behind the scenes. I worked with Jocelyn Purdie on many exhibitions and projects. I was on the board of the Union in 2005 and 2006, serving as the Treasurer and then the Communications Chair. This experience was invaluable – the skills I gained while serving on the board gave me the solid foundation I needed to work in the cultural community following my degree.

Following my time at the Union, I worked for a number of galleries and institutions, as well as organized arts projects. My experience serving on the board at of the Union contributed to my ability to help these organizations, as well as secure me the position. Immediately following my BFA, I worked for The White Cube Gallery and subsequently for the Barbican Arts Centre, The Whitechapel Gallery and Pangolin London Gallery (all London, UK). Recently, I developed a sculpture project for the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto called the “Hazelton Plinth” and I currently am developing a number of commissioned projects in Brooklyn, NY, as well as volunteering with the Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum.

While at Queen’s, the Union Gallery was also a wonderful space to learn about art and artists. The Union brought exceptional visiting artists to the campus and provided the students with an opportunity to engage and learn form these visiting professionals. Apart from showing student artwork, the Union would showcase art from the Kingston community and beyond, providing a place for an exchange of ideas and a fabulous student learning experience. In many respects, I would argue that the Queen’s BFA taught me the technical skills to be an artist, but working with the Union Gallery taught me how to be an artistic professional.

While my experience of the Union Gallery did come largely through my connections to the gallery as a visual artist, I also encountered many students form other backgrounds and departments engaging with art and the community through the space. It was a meeting point as well as a space for many to just sit quietly and reflect.

I do not have the statistics behind this, but I think it is fair to say that almost every degree offering institution, and especially those with a visual arts degree, has a student gallery. This space becomes essential as a resource for the visual arts student, but also reaches a larger audience of students – those who might have a love for art, as well as those who may have never been exposed to art before. How can a university such as Queen’s deprive their own community of the chance to be involved with an organization of this quality and commitment to the community? How can you deny your students, those enrolled in the BFA or not, the opportunity to experience art and culture created by their peers – to meet and discuss ideas with the next generation of Canadian artists and cultural professionals?

When I was looking at universities after high school, I visited many with my parents and went on a lot of campus tours. I read a lot of university brochures and I spoke with many people about their university experiences. In deciding to go Queen’s, which offered a more “well rounded” education, instead of a “fine art only” education, I was excited to have opportunities not strictly related to my program, but ones that would allow me to grow within a professional context and prepare me for the future. That’s what the Union Gallery did for me.

I remember seeing the space in 2001 with my parents when we visited Kingston for the day – a gallery in the library – exactly what I wanted, an art experience within the larger context of a great Canadian university. My decision to accept my placement at Queen’s was on one hand due to the program itself, but also due to the university culture and opportunities offered. Sadly, it seems these opportunities are vanishing before my very eyes.

I hope that you consider this letter in your decision. The Union Gallery has incredible potential to grow and help define the student experience at Queen’s. I strongly hope the university will support the gallery during this time of need – both financially and with a strategic plan – to continue to serve the student body and community.

Sincerely,

Samantha Mogelonsky (Queen’s BFAH 2006)

Thank you to the Toronto Arts Council for awarding me one of the 2013 Emerging Artists Grants – I am honoured!

A little mention by Margie Kelk on my role at Red Head Gallery. Thanks Margie 🙂

http://artpost-oc.blogspot.ca/2013/10/quick-draw-artist-interview-32-margie.html

A nice little write up about the Making Methods reception in SNAP Oshawa – http://www.snaposhawa.com/?option=com_sngevents&id%5B%5D=592573&utm_source=email&utm_medium=snapd

The residency at Artscape’s Gibraltar Point on the Toronto Island has been fantastic so far! Looking forward to this week.

I’m very excited to have been accepted to the “We are full of holes” – Thematic Residency Program with Luis Jacob at Artscape Gibraltar Point on the Toronto Islands from September – October, 2013, Curated by Lucas Soi.

The Thematic Residency Program offers artists the opportunity to work independently with the mentorship of a visiting professional artist, curator or critic working in international contemporary art.  For two weeks every month artists retreat to Artscape Gibraltar Point on Toronto Islands, which provides short-term accommodation and studio space for artists to research and develop their contemporary art practice. Thematic residencies explore various models including studio work, formal lectures, group discussion, peer collaboration and outdoor retreats.  This direction allows individual residents to find common ground amongst each other’s disparate practices and establish new connections through communal dialogue.

WE ARE FULL OF HOLES
LUIS JACOB

The world is made of holes. Our bodies are covered in them. Our eyes are holes, that enable us to see. Our mouths are holes, that form a passage between inside and outside. Our genitals are holes, that give us pleasure. I believe that works of art have an important relation to holes. Artworks point us to disturbing parts of our consciousness, those dark recesses within us that are rich like mines. Artworks create holes where there are none, disturbing our sense of reality and opening a can of worms. Artworks enable us to see; they allow passage between outside and inside; and they give us pleasure. We Are Full Of Holes will focus on several “case studies” of holes: various artworks, films and short texts will allow us collectively to explore the notion of holes. Beginning with a screening of Tsai Ming-liang’s 1998 film The Hole — a wonderfully absurd love story set in a run-down apartment in Taiwan — we will explore our artistic work from the perspective of the space of meaning that we open with it.

Luis JACOB (BFA, 1996, University of Toronto) lives and works in Toronto, Ontario. Recent solo exhibitions include Show Your Wound (Galerie Max Mayer, Dusseldorf and Birch Libralato, Toronto) and Pictures At An Exhibition (Darling Foundry, Montreal); and group exhibitions Visible, Móvil, Vidente (Centro Párraga, Spain) and Oh, Canada(MASS MoCA, Massachusetts).

Well, before the little white tube can travel to Oshawa, it’s going to be in Ottawa at the Blink Gallery for the Inside/Outside show’s trip to the capital!

Check out the show from July 25th – August 5th.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Freehand Auction last night! The neon has a happy new home!

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while and finally did!