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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThree works by Kal Mansur, Myta Sayo Gallery, Toronto<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kal Mansur\u2019s elegant pieces at Myta Sayo Gallery initially appeared to be flat geometric abstracts, but slowly revealed themselves to have a foggy depth. They\u2019re actually three-dimensional constructions under a translucent surface. I couldn\u2019t help but try to guess how the interiors are organized and structured.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThree works by Christian Eckart, Tr\u00e9panierBaer Gallery, Calgary<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tr\u00e9panier Baer Gallery mounted these round works by Christian Eckart on the outside of their booth. The faceted and fractured coloured shards glowed like stained glass windows and yet they seemed to be impossibly thin. Up close, I discovered that they were made of canvas, and directly adhered to the wall without any other framing or backing.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nJames Nizam, Superposition, archival inkjet print, Gallery Jones, Vancouver<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gallery Jones had a large photograph by James Nizam. At first glance, it appeared\u00a0to be a photo collage combining before-and-after views of a room demolition. But on closer inspection, I saw that it was a single unmanipulated photograph. Floors and walls had been precisely and carefully cut away.\u00a0The geometry of the incisions\u00a0followed a meticulously\u00a0calculated reverse perspective that aligned with the position of the camera. At any other location in the room, I imagine, the geometry would bend and break apart.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nVicki DaSilva, Magic Cove 1\/3, C-print mounted on aluminum, Studio 21 Fine Arts, Halifax<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Studio 21 presented work by Vicki DaSilva who has made large scale photographs with mysterious, diaphanous light elements that flow through landscapes. A little video monitor mounted on the wall explained the process. The photographs are long exposures, and the artist has walked through the space with a glowing wand thereby \u2018painting\u2019 the elements into the image. <\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nRegine Schumann, Colormirror Sculptures, Axel Pairon Gallery, Belgium<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Axel Pairon Gallery booth acrylic boxes glow from within with fluorescent coloured light. Colours, refractions, and reflections change at different angles of view. Where does this light come from? There are no visible lamps or wires. Looking up, you\u2019ll see the source \u2013 UV lamps are causing these pigments to fluoresce, making the work glow from within.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nEric Nado, Reassembled typewriters, Galerie C.O.A, Montreal<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Galerie C.O.A. had a set of machine guns mounted on the wall. Real guns? No. Looking closer, I soon realized they were made from old typewriters that have been disassembled and rearranged. A stark warning perhaps, that words and violence are not disconnected.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSteve Driscoll, Desperate for Their Brightness, 2022, Digital Print On Laminated Low Iron Glass, Backlit LED Lightbox, Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Peter Robertson Gallery had a large backlit work by Steve Driscoll. Based on a landscape scene, the colours glowed with acidic brightness. Brush marks and scribbles appeared as though they have been directly applied to the glass. But, as it was explained to me, this is a photographic process. The image was blown up from a smaller original and printed onto this transparent medium. The resolution is so fine that there are no pixels or other evidence of digital manipulation visible.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nJoe Fleming, White Taps, oil on polycarbonate, 35\u201d x 27\u201d, General Hardware Contemporary, Toronto<\/p>\n\n\n\n
General Hardware Contemporary had work by Joe Fleming who paints on transparent polycarbonate panels. This material allows him to paint on both sides of the thick surface. Transparent sections bring out shadows on the wall behind, and grooves into the surface itself allow Fleming to make objects that merge 2D painting and 3D sculpture: a kind of 2.5D space.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nJohn Scott, Dark Commander, 2012, Mixed Media on Canvas, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not only novel techniques that show best in person. Traditional paintings are meant to be seen up close too. John Scott\u2019s Dark Commander<\/em>, an ominous cross between Napoleon and Darth Vader, is terrifying in full scale. One foot is on its way out of the picture frame. There are boot prints in the paint as though the artist has tried to kick back at this menacing spectre, to stop this world destroyer.<\/p>\n\n\n