{"id":25407,"date":"2014-09-27T13:46:21","date_gmt":"2014-09-27T17:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/?p=25407"},"modified":"2014-10-09T12:05:17","modified_gmt":"2014-10-09T16:05:17","slug":"the-immaculate-selfie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/?p=25407","title":{"rendered":"The Immaculate Selfie at Black Cat Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"

In celebration of the current selfie culture, The<\/em> Immaculate Selfie<\/em>, an exhibition curated by Project Gallery director Devan Patel, explores self-portraiture in art. The show features mostly young Canadian contemporary painters (both digital and analog), photographers, and printmakers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0Denelle Kennedy, Celfie 3<\/em>, 2014, photograph, 20 x 20 inches.\u00a0Courtesy of the artist.<\/p>\n

Because the exploration of self-portraiture has always been important in the art practice, and today it is ever so present in pop culture with Millenials at the forefront of the selfie culture, it is important to recognize The Immaculate Selfie<\/em> as an important exhibition of contemporary art in this day\u00a0and time. Not to mention the diversity of the show, which reflects the current multiculturalism of Toronto.<\/p>\n

Artists have always explored themselves as the subject of their work, whether through a direct depiction of themselves (like Frida Kahlo\u2019s portraits), or through more abstract forms of expression (like Cindy Sherman’s roleplayes). As stated by Devan Patel, there is more or less an aspect of narcissism in self-portraits, and to those simply admiring the work, the narcissistic quality is evident. But it isn\u2019t always a bad thing and self-portraiture can have deeper meanings below the shallow layer of narcissism, and this is exactly the message that this exhibition successfully portrays. To artists, self-portraiture is also a chance to explore their inner selves. The final piece represents an understanding of the Self, sometimes through a variety of interpretations, and at that moment\u00a0when the viewer sees the artist\u2019s work, they become vulnerable before us.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0Stella Cade, Sweat, Sweat<\/em>\u00a0(left) and Contact<\/em> (right), 2014, oil on canvas,\u00a030 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist.<\/p>\n

Some of the artists were present at the opening reception to speak to me about their work, such as Stella Cade, who has been working with self-portraiture for about 6 years. Her two paintings were made in June, as part of an ongoing series exploring identity and self-critique, and she wanted them to adopt the feeling of the mid-summer sun\u2019s heat, and the inevitability of sweat when moving in such conditions. When staring at the paintings, I feel the sweat that might be causing her discomfort through her gaze and unkept hair. The powerful blue in the background does cool down the painting a bit though, like air conditioning, which only captures the essence of mid-summer even more.<\/p>\n

I also had the pleasure to speak with Shawn Keir, an exhilarating personality who creates energy-driven work based on how he feels in the present moment. In each phase of the painting, he used color and line to depict the emotion that he was feeling at the exact moment he was working on it\u2014he literally<\/em> paints himself in the moment. Shawn Keir uses color in his paintings exceptionally well, and it is probably the best aspect of his work.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kimberley Lillywhite, Turbulence, <\/em>2014. Courtesy of the artist.<\/p>\n

There was also Kimberley Lillywhite, whose work is heavily influenced by structure and design, showcasing a painting called Turbulence<\/em> that is part of a series of three abstract self-portraits. In Turbulence<\/em>, life\u2019s chaos\u2014represented through several textures of muddy greys, browns, and black\u00a0– finds balance through the triangle, the central figure of the piece, which represents the center of her being. For Lillywhite, the triangle is a solid shape that draws in The Now; the act of being in the present moment and finding your center amidst all the troubles life gives us. Phoung Nguyen’s Untitled <\/em>also gives us the\u00a0 troubled feeling of being confused, out of balance and not able to compose ourselves – a common state of our contemporary mind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Phuong Nguyen, Untitled<\/em>, 2014,\u00a0oil on canvas, 20 x 16\u00a0inches. Courtesy of the artist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Josephine Mwanvua<\/p>\n

*Exhibition\u00a0information: September 25 – October 3, 2014, Closing reception: October 3, 2014\u00a0\/ 7 – 11 p.m., The Black Cat Gallery,\u00a0\u00a02186 Dundas Street West, Toronto.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Josephine Mwanvua<\/strong><\/p>\n

self-portraiture has always been important in the art practice, and today it is ever so present in pop culture with Millenials at the forefront of the selfie culture <\/p>\n

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