Marie Lannoo & Suzie Smith: Thin Places / in turns

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Marie Lannoo, "Thin Places," 2018, Suzie Smith, "in turns," 2018

Thin Places / in turnsThis exhibition brings together two artists interested in the history and legacy of Modernism on the Prairies. Colour and light form the basis of inquiry for Lannoo’s work, while Smith will exhibit a new body of print and animation that plays with oppositional ideas of originality and uniformity, mass production and craft and the process of creative thinking. Lannoo carries out her experimentation of painting through material practice that includes laser cut colour studies. Smith pushes and pulls the traditions of printmaking, working with systems and processes to inquire into the relations of process, representation, and understanding.

THIN PLACES explores the nature of color. Invisible wavelengths are taken in by the human optic brain and processed into the colours of the visible light spectrum. Different wavelengths produce different perceptions of color. Light enables the invisible mysteries of space and matter to become visible in the material world.

Color is integral to a painter. The installation consists of three components; monochromatic, painted tondos, aluminum wavelengths and hand-made paint boxes. 

Wavelengths contain no mass and no weight. In THIN PLACES, they are rendered in materials that have weight and mass and occupy space. In some cases, they glow their color and cast shadows and in others, they are engraved into a surface. The installation is configured to show enlarged wavelengths and the net effect of the translation of these wavelengths into what we see as full, robust color.

We live in the heart of sunlight in Canada. Experiencing light and color here is unique. On most days while standing on the prairies, you can see miles of uninterrupted, transparent colored space as you are immersed in a 3D dome of light. My interests lie in experiencing, analyzing and understanding color from this place.

MARIE LANNOO Born in Ontario, Lannoo has lived in Saskatchewan since 1975. She studied at York University, University of Saskatchewan and the Banff School of Fine Arts and attended several Emma Lake artists' workshops. She has exhibited in Canada and abroad. Selected exhibitions include Hong Kong Arts Centre, Elaine Jacob Gallery, Detroit, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa ON, the Lightbox, NYC, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, Edmonton Art Gallery. Selected public collections include Canada Council Art Bank, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Remai Modern, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Art Gallery of Alberta, Canada House, London, UK and the Canadian Embassy, Hong Kong. Her work is represented in private collections in Canada, USA, Britain, Asia and the Middle East. In 2010, Lannoo opened 330 Avenue G South, a studio space for artists and in 2012, she opened 330g, an independent exhibition space in Saskatoon.

IN TURNS uses screenprinting, laser cut sculpture and animation to explore ideas of transformation and understanding. In each work, the artist sets a loose framework or set of rules. Ideas come from playing against these restrictions and the pieces become diagrams of this process. 

The print-based works are made up of a small selection of shapes and colours, which are then connected, offset and repeated to create a series of unique compositions. The prints are shown grouped together to demonstrate a number of possibilities out of endless potential variations. The work uses the restrictions and freedoms inherent in printmaking technique to build each piece. 

The exhibition highlights play and exploration and more generally the creative process. The artist attempts to bring the audience into the work, whether that is through imaged alternative variations or through deconstructing how the work is made."Draw a straight line and follow it"- Le Monte Young, avant-garde composer and Fluxus artist.

SUZIE SMITH is an interdisciplinary artist based in Winnipeg. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Concordia University in 2004 and a Master of Fine Arts from Glasgow School of Art in 2011. She has shown both nationally and internationally in group shows and has had solo exhibitions in Canada including at Arprim (Montreal), Malaspina Printmakers (Vancouver), Open Studio (Toronto) and Ace Art (Winnipeg). Primarily working in print media, her work explores ideas of transformation, representation and creative process.