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<\/a>Gilles Morin in front of his work. Photo: Phil Anderson<\/p>\nLocated in the Cell Gallery at Gallery 1313, the show,\u00a0Mystification: Digital Paintings,<\/em>\u00a0seems to challenge the viewer at first sight. Challenge them in the terms of strong colors \u2013 magenta pink, blood red and royal blue \u2013 that seem to jump out of the unframed prints bewildering the onlooker. It is so much that catches the eye that we don’t know what to focus on at first: what wall, what painting, what layer of the work. All the works have multiple layers of objects that together make up the final composition. For instance, lips from one face, eyes from another, a suit and a tie, rainbow halo, and bloody eyes are grouped together to create the portrait of an astrologer. It is the artist\u2019s intention to make the audience think about the theme and subject of each piece. Highly personal, each piece evokes a feeling of familiarity because of its juxtaposition of layered objects.<\/p>\n Before talking to Morin himself, I decided to sit down and analyze the painting that had caught my eye, in the corner of the wall, that seemed to mix portraits of different beings. The forehead of a tiger, the chin of a man, glasses, minute numbers of the clock – I started making up my own narrative. It reminded me of our origin and double nature. As time went on, animals evolved into men, but the inherent nature of man still can be aggressive. There is a beast in a man and a man in the beast. The dual personality of a human being is baffling as a continuous repression of the animal is still there, still trying to fit into society as \u2018normal\u2019 and \u2018appropriate\u2019.<\/p>\n Morin watched as I sat and stared at the print for over 20 minutes, scribbling in my journal. He waited eagerly for me to finish interpreting the piece and took up conversation. One thing I had missed he explained, is that facing death for some people is harder than for others. Animals on the other hand don\u2019t have that dichotomy \u2013 they live in a ‘better time’, the time of youth. There is an important juxtaposition between the way humans and animals see time, he said. Death is something I failed to infer from the painting, but that is the beauty of the multi-layered works; each viewer picks up on different objects, different hints and reaches his own conclusion.<\/p>\n Perplexity and the complexity of human nature are the main themes of the show. Beautifully contrasted, one wall contains three portraits of religious subjects:an Archangel, Jesus, and Mary, facing four pieces illustrating the assault on the female body. One of those women is crucified, with her genitalia \u2018crowned\u2019 by a thorn crown and an inflamed head of hair.<\/p>\n \u201cCrucifixion, agony,\u201d is Morin\u2019s angry response to the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by the Islamic group Boko Haram in Nigeria. \u00a0He explained he had heard the news on the radio and became absolutely enraged.\u201cWhat does it say about men?\u201d \u2013\u00a0he contemplated through our conversation \u2013 \u201cThe portrayal of the woman evokes a sense of anger and pain, but there is also hope represented by the leaves at the bottom.\u201d \u00a0Indeed, there is a contrast to the main theme as the pastel green, yellow and red leaves sporadically\u00a0covering the ground bring nature into\u00a0the composition and\u00a0attempting to give the hope of survival.<\/p>\n<\/a>Gilles Morin, Astrologer, what is seen, digital, inkjet print.\u00a0Photo:\u00a0Elizaveta Mironova<\/p>\n<\/a>Gilles Morin, Father time, digital, inkjet print.\u00a0Photo:\u00a0Elizaveta Mironova<\/p>\n<\/a>Installation view with Gilles Morin,\u00a0Archangel (left), Garden of Pain-Gethsemane (top right) and Sorrowful Madonna (bottom right),\u00a0digital, inkjet prints.\u00a0Photo:\u00a0Elizaveta Mironova<\/p>\n<\/a>Installation view with Gilles Morin, (from left to right) Crucifixion, agony; Deshabille; Stop Judging Me!; Nude, colorful friend, digital, inkjet print.\u00a0Photo:\u00a0Elizaveta Mironova<\/p>\n