"Catalyst"

This exhibition will showcase a selection of three paintings from the Catalyst Series. In June 2012, the artist discovered a substantive oil spill under her house. By highlighting personal experience, the paintings offer insight into the psychological impact of contamination and the deeper meaning of how people relate with the environment.

Oil is used to develop countless man made products, fuel transportation and travel, and sometimes used to heat homes. It is resource used to simplify our everyday lives. Oil however, a complex mixture of hydrocarbons—hydrocarbon being the key word. In the event of a spill on the ground or underground, hydrocarbons can migrate through the soil, contaminating it; penetrate a cement floor; permeate into a house; polluting the air; and migrate into wells, and poison the drinking water. For example if the soil beneath a structure is contaminated, these odorless hydrocarbon compounds can permeate the cement floor, and move up and into the insulation, drywall, new hardwood floors, a favorite bureau, a new couch, and even a coffee maker. Once they have entered an object, they off-gas for many years. Even though the air may seem clean and there is no visible evidence of oil, a site can be toxic, posed with carcinogens and essentially poisonous with serious consequences for human health.

In 2012, Allyson Glenn discovered a substantial oil spill beneath the foundation of their house. Her romantic aspirations to renovate, nest, and create memories within this first home were put aside to address the reality and complexity of being tethered to catastrophe. This event propelled her to develop the Catalyst series, which narrates moments of the artist’s journey with the contamination and remediation, while offering a platform to address the topic of oil and what it really means for those who live in proximity to sites that pose similar risks. One of the paintings entitled Cave 1 depicts her partner collapsing over the excavation pit, which appears rugged, foreboding, and cave-like, while his body language suggests anger, defeat, and acceptance.

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Allyson Glenn "Cave 1"

Allyson Glenn "Cave 1"

This painting was one of two selected to exhibit in the international art exhibition Art@tell in St.Gallen, Switzerland in 2014. The Curator Deborah Keller, described the painting as a “reminders of our abuse and our questionable handling of natural resources (i.e., fossil fuel) and refer to the interpretation of “house” as a symbol for the human psyche (as we know it from psychology, literature, and philosophy). In this interpretation, the basement hosts the unconscious and thus – as Freud pointed out – the uncanny. The viewer sees himself confronted with this part of the house. The protective function of the house is eliminated, where only abysses and the individual cannot find footing on anything anymore….”

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Allyson Glenn "Demolition Tea Party"

Allyson Glenn "Demolition Tea Party"

Other paintings from this series, such as Demolition Tea Party, depict a celebration or social gathering in relation to the site partitioned for deconstruction. While Crimson Lake (Home) exposes the house from below and mirrored into a lake-like reflection to symbolize ‘a hidden danger.’

By offering insight into the details and the personal impact of the contamination of the artist’s home, this project not only acknowledges the artist’s personal journey but also raises awareness for those who seek to know more about environmental risks. This project may also offer insight for those who live in proximity to oil and gas development and transportation sites and who might question, “what would happen if…”

Catalyst will be touring other exhibition venues in Canada and the United States. Dates which follow The Cultch exhibition:

Solo

Okotoks Art Gallery, Okotoks, AB, April 24 – June 20, 2015; Carnegie Art Gallery, Main Space, Dundas, ON, August 7-31, 2015; Karsh- Masson Gallery, Ottawa, ON September 16- October 12, 2015; Mckinley Gallery, City of Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA December 1-30, 2015; Terrace Art Gallery,Terrace, BC, May-June, 2016;

Two Person:

Georgina Art Gallery, Sutton, ON, February 27- April 4, 2016; Quest Art Gallery, Midland, ON, June 24-August 20, 2016