Late Day Moments in Urban Realism

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Tad Suzuki, "Galiano Waiting Room," 2016

acrylic on canvas, 30" x 30"

Opening reception: Saturday, November 5, 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Karel Roessingh will be on piano and Joey Smith on bass. 

Tad Suzuki will be in attendance and will give a talk about his work at 3:00 p.m.

Tad Suzuki’s most recent series signifies the theme of the progression of time and the characteristics of light that emanate at day’s end. The late day atmosphere of the empty café, void of human presence, marks the memory of moments previously experienced, where casually placed furnishings represent the occupants after their physical departure. In a similar vein, Sally’s, the centre point of the series, representing both a literal and metaphoric transition for the vacant shop, was completed during a significant period in the artist’s life. Illuminated by late afternoon sun, Suzuki expresses the fullness of the space: the potential for new beginnings.

Suzuki’s long-standing interest in neon and its power to bring life to even the darkest of nights is also represented in several works. Moving from the neon-emblazoned strip joint of Toronto’s Yonge Street to theater facades, he became intrigued by the Art Deco elements of the Stanley Theatre in Vancouver and the modernism of the Odeon Theatre in Victoria, both designed by architect Henry Holdsby Simmons in 1930s-40s. Suzuki’s hyper realist approach has developed out of his admiration of contemporary realists such as Edward Hopper, Richard Estes, Davis Cone and John Register, as well as historical masters of the East and West, namely, Hiroshige, Hokusai, Canaletto, Bellotto and Vermeer.