Garbage
Mathew Reichertz
CURATED BY
ROBIN METCALFE
SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY
Garbage is an architectural-scale series of panels that transform the gallery into a comic book. Each “page” of the story consists of a group of painted panels that, when assembled, measure between 6 x 8 feet and 11 x 17 feet. As the story unfolds, the paintings move from large rectangles to multi-panelled conglomerations.
The series tells the story of an encounter between the protagonist and his neighbours in a transitional North End Halifax neighbourhood. Alternating between imagined scenes of what might have happened and scenes set in a recognizable local urban environment, between quiet reflection and explosive emotional reactions, and between light and dark (in a manner reminiscent of film noir, and of the rich visual world of many acclaimed graphic novels), Garbage extends the narrative aspect that has long been characteristic of Reichertz’s work into a new realm that overlaps with contemporary printed matter.
Originally from Montreal, Mathew Reichertz completed his BFA at Concordia University and his MFA at NSCAD University. In 2005 Reichertz was the Eastern Canadian winner of the RBC Canadian Painting Competition and in 2006 was shortlisted for the Sobey Art Award. He has had numerous exhibitions nationally and his work can be found in a number of institutional collections including the Nova Scotia Art Bank, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the Dalhousie Art Gallery. Reichertz’s interests are in narrative and contemporary painting. In 2006 he became a tenure track member of the Faculty at NSCAD University where he is now an Associate Professor.
This project is funded in part by Art Nova Scotia, Halifax, and The Canada Council for the Arts.
TOUR SCHEDULE
Carleton University Art Gallery: 18 January - 3 April 2016
To enquire about Garbage touring details please email gallery@smu.ca
Mi'kwite'tmn (Do You Remember)
Ursula Johnson
Curated by
Robin Metcalfe
Saint Mary's University Art Gallery
Mi’kwite’tmn (Do You Remember) examines ideas of ancestry, identity and cultural practice. Ursula Johnson deconstructs and manipulates the function and image of Mi’kmaw basketry, using traditional techniques to build non-functional forms. In Mi’kwite’tmn, Johnson creates three distinct spaces.
A “Museological Grand Hall” displays empty plexi vitrines bearing sand-blasted diagrammes of traditional Mi’kmaw baskets.
An “Archive Room” is crowded with mutant basket-type objects from the series O’pltek (“It is Not Right”).
In the “Performative Space”, the artist presents an endurance performance of shaving, pounding and splitting an ash-wood log to produce a mountain of splints, as traditionally employed in Mi’kmaw basket-making.
Johnson explores the impact of colonialism on aboriginal material and linguistic culture, and challenges the museological and ethnographic frame imposed upon it.
Ursula Johnson is an Interdisciplinary Artist from Nova Scotia with Mi’kmaw Ancestry. She graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design with a BFA and is currently based out of Escasone Nation. Johnson’s art draws upon a variety of traditions from performance, installation, and sculpture, often times incorporating the traditional Aboriginal art form of basketry. Johnson has been long listed for the 2014 Sobey Art Award.
This project is funded in part by the Museums Assistance Program at Canadian Heritage.
TOUR SCHEDULE
Upcoming: The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford: 21 September - 31 December 2017
University of Lethbridge Art Gallery: 19 January - 9 March 2017. Reception: Thursday, 19 January, 4-6 pm
Confederation Centre of the Arts: 18 January - 3 May 2015
Kenderdine Art Gallery: 26 September - 5 December 2014
More Tour Venues to be announced
To enquire about Mi'kwite'tmn (Do You Remember) touring details please email gallery@smu.ca