Evelyne Brader-Frank | Evanescence
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Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art 730 11 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2R 0E4
Left: Evelyne Brader-Frank, “Symphony,” 2024; Right: Evelyne Brader-Frank, “Allegra,” 2024
Left: white marble with grey lines, 16 x 8 x 3.75 inches; Right: white marble with grey lines, 15.75 x 8 x 3.75 inches (courtesy of the gallery)
Opening Reception: Saturday, Sept. 14th, 2-4pm. Artist in attendance.
Newzones is thrilled to announce a solo exhibition of new work, Evanescence, by Swiss-Canadian sculptor, Evelyne Brader Frank.
Exploring and sculpting the female silhouette, Brader-Frank applies her unique insight on a theme that has been pervasive throughout art history, from the Venus of Willendorf to contemporary interpretations. The traditional female form is met with manipulated proportions and exaggerated features, which blur the lines between figuration and abstraction. Dynamic lines and shapes emphasize fluidity and grace, while the overall minimalism celebrates the elegance of simplicity and further draws attention to the inherent beauty of the carved stone.
Evanescence refers to the quality of being fleeting, a gradual disappearance. On a literal level, Brader-Frank gradually carves stone, and as parts of the material seemingly vanish, a final elegant form is revealed. Poetically, it speaks to the ephemerality of fleeting beauty, which Brader-Frank captures through the final permanence of the forms she sculpts.
Born in Wettingen, Switzerland, into an artistically talented family, Brader-Frank has been expressing herself through soapstone, bronze, and steel for over twenty years. Her dynamic figures are celebrations of form and the beautiful stones from which they emerge. Fascinated with classical mythology, Brader-Frank titles her sculptures after personalities from Greek and Roman myths, looking for a match between a character and her feelings for the new sculpture. In 1994, Brader-Frank moved to Alberta where she not only expanded her work into larger formats like bronze and concrete, she had the opportunity to further develop her skills by working with prominent Canadian artists such as the world’s foremost ice carvers Michael Rapati and Larry Andreoff.