{"id":54801,"date":"2024-12-18T14:46:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T19:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/?p=54801"},"modified":"2024-12-18T17:55:23","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T22:55:23","slug":"phil-irish-niche-species-at-lonsdale-gallery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/?p=54801","title":{"rendered":"Phil Irish: Niche Species at Lonsdale Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Niche Species<\/em>, Phil Irish\u2019s solo exhibition, showcases unique painted and photographed collage works of the Arctic. The artworks on display were produced during the artist\u2019s expedition and residency in the Arctic Circle. Irish was able to visit and explore regions of Norway that regular tourists would not be able to access. Originally a painter, in this series of work Irish uses mixed media and photography to bring new perspectives on collage making. Entry to the exhibition is welcomed by \u201cOf Unknowing\u201d, a large piece with a calm white setting in the snow \u2014 creating a mysterious tone.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Installation view of Phil Irish, Niche Species<\/em> <\/a>with Of Unknowing (right) at Lonsdale Gallery. Courtesy of Lonsdale Gallery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking into the gallery, we encounter a wall on the left, called the \u201cdidactic wall\u201d that presents many photographs, notes, and a map introducing the visitor to the story behind and methods used in the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Phil Irish, didactic wall. Photo: Nane Zadoorian<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A frame with cutouts of painted animals pinned together also helps in understanding how the photographs were taken, and the many layers\/processes of creation involved. The artist would set the frames in front of the natural landscape of Norway and take many photos, in and out of focus, to later collage in Photoshop. The results are reminiscent of geometric blurry or sharp images and shapes produced by kaleidoscopes. Although at first glance the animals in the works seem to have been cut out and placed on a background, the realization that they were photographed with the actual landscape makes the works all the more beautiful and special. Through this post-painterly collage technique, Irish is able to focus our attention on some elements like animals that appear clearer or less blurry than others. This gives his work a fragmented quality as we question our perception.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Phil Irish, Huddle and Twist, 2024, archival inkjet mounted on alupanel, 22 x 33 in. Courtesy of Lonsdale Gallery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideas of perspectives, frames, and layers arise not only physically through the collaged paintings, landscapes, and photographs, but also conceptually through narratives connecting these processes to climate change. Most of us don\u2019t get to experience the subjects Irish depicts and only see them in books, so our frame of reference is different than the people who live there. Pinned down animals allow the artworks to be treated as a collection of scientific specimens for our observation. My interpretation of the pins was through a metaphorical representation of pain the pins cause the animals. I think that the pins conceptually act as a tool to direct our attention toward the animals by presenting them as something to be analyzed \u2014 a reminder of their existence and how we need to coexist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Irish also questions the effects of our actions in his pieces by thinking about \u201cwhat we are building, and for whom\u201d. In \u201cConstruction\u201d, the idea of building is evident through its background of a construction site in Longyearbyen.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Phil Irish, Construction, 2024, archival inkjet mounted on alupanel, 28 x 35 in. Courtesy of Lonsdale Gallery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the metal and wooden boards of the scaffolding the artist questions how our mental constructions relate to what we build, and whether we treat animals that live around us as our neighbours\/part of our constructions. Irish paints his animals with love and attention, acknowledging that they may not exist for long. His mark is left on the pieces through brushstrokes, ripped paper, splashes or thick piles of paint, and visible red underpaintings, revealing his process and making the viewer picture how the images were made and feel as if they were there.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Phil Irish, Ptarmigan, 2024, oil and acrylic on paper, collaged, 22.5 x 18 in. Courtesy of Lonsdale Gallery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small sign on one of the gallery\u2019s walls reveals a quote by the guide in Norway, Sarah Gerats: \u201cDon\u2019t feel sorry for your plans, the weather decides\u201d. The playful quote addresses unexpected weather conditions that complicated the art production process. Marks of the weather are sometimes seen in the paintings as the prints of snowflakes have dotted the painted surfaces. Details such as these add a special site-specific value to the paintings and remind us of the effort needed to create them.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Phil Irish, Solar Bear, 2024, archival inkjet mounted on alupanel, 22 x 33 in. Courtesy of Lonsdale Gallery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With intricate textures and creation processes, as well as thoughts about environmentalism, the level of care and affection that Phil Irish has put into these pieces is joyful to observe and ponder. These artworks address important issues that we have to face in our world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nane Zadoorian<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Exhibition information: Phil Irish, Niche Species<\/em>, October 26 \u2013 December 21, 2024, Lonsdale Gallery, 410 Spadina Road, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed \u2013 Sat 11 am \u2013 5 pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Nane Zadoorian<\/strong><\/p>\n

The level of care and affection that Phil Irish has put into these pieces is joyful to observe and ponder.<\/p>\n

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