Stephen Waddell, Made/Unmade
to
Monte Clark Gallery 53 Dunlevy Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia V6A 3A3
Stephen Waddell, "Made/Unmade," 2021
Monte Clark is pleased to present an exhibition of recent pictures by Stephen Waddell on view.
Over the past two decades Stephen Waddell has established a distinct pictorial style depicting everyday scenes of modern life with a sophisticated understanding of colour, form and composition. Made/Unmade consists of a selection of photographs of urban spaces and subjects, as well as scenes staged in the artist’s studio.
Found objects set against a black backdrop are transformed in front of the camera, revealing what would be commonly overlooked. Presented at near life-scale or larger, unique characteristics of the urban castaways lend to an anthropomorphic reading, that is distinct from a utilitarian purpose. The framing, composition, and lighting are akin to a theatrical setting and historical portraiture, using light and shadow to define aspects seen and unseen.
Stephen Waddell received his MFA from the University of British Columbia in 1994, and has exhibited in galleries and institutions including Monte Clark, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Espai d’art contemporani de Castelló in Castello, Spain, Kunstforum Baloise in Basel, Switzerland, the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver, and C/O in Berlin. Waddell’s works are included in the permanent collections of the Armand Hammer Collection in Los Angeles, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Canada, and numerous others. Waddell’s most recent books include Stephen Waddell (2020) published by Steidl, Dark Matter Atlas (2017) published by Distanz and Hunt and Gather (2011) published by Steidl. In 2019, Waddell won the Scotiabank Photography Award. The artist lives and works in Vancouver, B.C. Canada.