About the Exhibit
Join us in celebration of TGCA’s newest exhibit Abstract in Motion: Communicating through Line, Shape, Colour & Form.
The non-representational genre of Abstract art communicates through line, shape, colour and form. Jackson Pollock described it as “energy and motion made visible”. Similarly, the style of Abstract Expressionism evokes a sense of spontaneity, characterized by gestural brush strokes or mark-making but one that does not abandon all representational elements.
Hilma af Klint was the foremother of Abstract painting. She created her first abstract painting in her Stockholm studio in 1906. Moving forward to the mid-century, Abstract Expressionism recalls the big, male names of Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Franz Kline. However, it’s their female counterparts who punched above their weight: Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Grace Hartigan, Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchel and Mary Abbot were trailblazers for women artists at the time. Says Lee Krasner: “I like a canvas to breathe and be alive. Be alive is the point. And, as the limitations are something called pigment and canvas, let’s see if I can do it.”
With pleasure, the gallery is featuring a thoughtfully curated group show of contemporary abstract and expressionistic artworks in painting and photography created primarily by women artists + Matt Dyer. Line, shape, colour and form coalesce in a range of canvas size and mediums, coming together in a sophisticated and animated exhibit by established and emerging artists. Navigating from purely abstract to gestural mark-making, moving between fluid forms to subtle representation, each artwork invites thoughtful viewing and contemplation.
With pleasure, we welcome work by Nikki Baxendale, Janice Beaudoin, Tiffany Blaise, Stacey Bodnaruk, Paula Callahan, Matt Dyer, Monica Gewurz, Janis Gosbee, Ira Hoffecker, Michelle Miller, Rachel Ovadia, Sarah Platenius, Rebecca Santry, Lucy Schappy, Libby Weir, Shelley Wuitchik and Chin Yuen.
New to the gallery is Toronto-based international artist artist Rachel Ovadia. Her affinity for natural textiles, papers, sands, encaustic and metals is evident in her passion for exploring the tactile qualities and intricacies of natural materials. Rachel has traveled extensively, living in the Middle East, Europe and North America. She received her BA in Fine Arts & Linguistics from the University of Vilnius, with additional formal studies at the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts, the University of Toronto where she received her MFA, and the Florence Art Academy where she obtained her Fine Arts Diploma. Rachel has organized and participated in group shows in London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, New York, Miami, Tel-Aviv, Japan and Toronto from 1980 to present. She has held numerous solo exhibitions with permanent exhibits throughout North America, and it is an honour to represent Rachel’s work in western Canada.
There are no limitations here to canvas and pigment. Let’s see what has been done.
Leah van Beers-McDiarmid,
Gallery Director
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