Doug Rowed | Susan Loudon | Summer/Fall Show
Artem Exhibits 3605 Commercial Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V5N 4E9
Susan Loudon, “Hiker,” 2015, wood, canvas, clay, plastic, wire, stone,14” x 14”
This latest exhibition at ARTEM EXHIBITS sees the gallery transformed into an open space with tables and shelves cradling intricate, curious objects. The show, titled : 3-D OBJECTS AND STORIES finds the main room filled with sculptures by Susan Loudon and the walls dotted with some of her paintings and mixed media pieces. All of the tiny structures invite the viewer to consider many views and worlds, peeking and inspecting closely, exposing stories real and imagined. Her works are created with simple organic materials, with a hand-made, non-slick finish that evokes fragility and expression. Some of the pieces have kinetic elements and can shift positions with mechanical help. There is a bright, positive feeling in the gallery , which is dominated as you enter, by the sight of a tall cotton candy stick, embedded softly with the words “ IT’S BEEN A DIFFICULT DAY” , which you can read as you walk around it , as if in a circus.
Doug Rowed, “Bed of Nails,” 1977, wood, nails, acrylic paint, 38” X 47” X 6”
In the WHITE RABBIT ROOM , Doug Rowed shows an impressive, contemplative black structure, hung with reverence on an electrifying, buzzing yellow wall. Immersed in the experience and reflecting on the sharp nails squarely fit into their housing on the wall, brings to mind the hypnotic trance of a swami on a “Bed of Nails”, which is the name of the main work in this room. His other 7 works in this room offer equal contemplative substance.