Whimsy in a Time of Chaos: Marie H. Becker & Contemporary Artists

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Whimsy in a Time of Chaos: Marie H. Becker & Contemporary Artists

Courtesy of the Gallery.

Whimsy a Time of Chaos consists of works from contemporary artists, with a focus on the artwork of Marie H. Becker. Artists in the exhibition give us dreamlike representations of life, death and our social interactions in-between.

Playing within the commentary, other contemporary artists, Thomas Anfield, Michael Hermesh, and I.K. Butchart join the exhibition. Utilizing whimsy, sometimes in the media, other times in the message, these artists use naivety, symbols of childhood and self-discovery. The end result is a collective conversation wherein lighthearted whimsy lifts the viewer from their own turbulence.

The Petley Jones Gallery is thrilled to spotlight the works of Marie H. Becker, who paints with an edgy sense of humor: Her acute insight into environmental detriment is surprisingly juxtaposed by a bright-coloured splash of the belief that everything alive shares a unifying commonality. Every single piece she paints has a clue to a deeply felt larger story, frequently hinted in the title itself – not unlike a riddle.

In Becker’s words, “Diverse Influences inform my art.” She continues, “From my love of the frescoes of Giotto and early Renaissance art, to folk art, colour field paintings, embroidery, and textiles. These might all find their way into my imagination and paintings: This rich historic archive leaves me free to pull together polar images that yield modern and occasionally wry messages”.