Bestiary + Wilderness, City

Exhibitions by Janet Macpherson and Simon James Gilpin

×

Expand

Janet Macpherson, "Migration," (detail)

Janet Macpherson: Bestiary

Hybrids present us with two things happening simultaneously. They are in flux, one always alluding to and challenging the other. The borders between domesticity and animal impulse, the manufactured and the natural, and the spiritual and the visceral are distinct yet permeable, illustrating differences while creating spaces for wonder and uncertainty. The hybrid animal forms presented in this exhibition are inspired by the tradition of medieval bestiaries: illustrated tales where real and imaginary beasts act as surrogates for aspects of human nature. In Bestiary, animals are similarly allegorical, touching on ideas of global migration, the environment, and our relationship to all living things.

• Read related article.

About Janet Macpherson:

Janet Macpherson studied ceramics at Sheridan College, and earned her MFA at The Ohio State University in 2010. Janet has exhibited her work extensively in Canada and the United States, and was the 2013 recipient of the Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics. Janet’s most recent solo exhibition titled “Janet Macpherson: A Canadian Bestiary” was a response to Canada’s Sesquicentennial and was commissioned and presented by the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto. Janet has been an artist-in-residence in the Craft and Design studios at Harbourfront Centre, and at the Zentrum für Keramik in Berlin Germany. Janet lives and works in Toronto.

×

Expand

Simon James Gilpin, "Arbour," 2017

Simon James Gilpin: Wilderness, City

This new work by Simon James Gilpin explores the theme of natural landscape and how it is opposed to human made environments.These densely textured oil paintings question our relationship with the world that nature has created for us, and the more artificial inner cities that we have chosen to create for ourselves. It looks at the way the wilds of the Yukon and the centre of large cities, like Vancouver, affect us on an emotional level, but also takes a look at how the city of Whitehorse is changing within itself. With this "Wilderness City" starting to build up and spread out, the downtown construction zones and the untouched forest are closer than ever.

Ultimately posing the question: How similar are these places, and yet, how completely different?