Written by Anne Ewen
Large and In Charge showcases a multimedia selection of contemporary works by some of Canada’s top artists. These large-scale creations captivate and command through their artistically impressive content, style and genre. Learn about the artists below and don't miss the exhibition Opening Reception on Friday, October 26 at 7 p.m.
Michael Cameron, Searching for Elvis 2 (variations on Catharine Whyte’s painting “House near Tofino”, detail), 2018, oil and spray paint on canvas, private collection
Michael Cameron’s Searching for Elvis 2 is adopted from Catharine Whyte’s 1940s painting of a house in Tofino. Cameron is always drawn to it perhaps because it is a reminder of his time working across the street from a yellow house in that same village. Cameron’s painting is a continuation of his series Searching for Elvis, and this quest to find that one elusive image or idea to incarnate into the perfectly-completed canvas.
Thirteen Moons, painted by renowned Canadian artist Alex Janvier, is a circular mural that tells the story about time and space with each panel representing one month of the traditional Indigenous lunar calendar. Painted in true Janvier-style, the colourful panels further celebrate the relationship with the earth, traditions and a connection to the future.
London, Ontario’s Wyn Geleynse humorous situational installation Just..., displays on a monitor the artist’s face regurgitating children’s wooden letter blocks. On the floor in front of the screen are hundreds of blocks signifying his height. This self-portrait represents a persistent character determined to realize challenges in the best interest of himself and the viewer.
Ann Goldberg, Underwater, 2017, oil on canvas, private collection
Underwater, the huge canvas by Vancouver-based artist Ann Goldberg conveys a woman submerged in a tiled pool, swimming close to the surface toward the viewer. At a distance, this larger-than-life canvas reads like a hyperrealistic piece but up-close transforms into an abstract expressionist.
Toronto-based, South African-born sculptor Evan Penny is widely known for his lifelike, hyperrealist sculptures. Self Portrait, Variation #3 is a three-dimensional artistic likeness created out of silicone, pigment, hair and aluminum.
Jay Senetchko, Fire Sermon
Jay Senetchko once commented, “If you can’t make it good, make it big. If you can’t make it big, make it red.” His painting The Fire Sermon is big, has red and is good. Depicting clean-up after a fire, the image is reminiscent of the trials experienced by home owners in Canadian cities struck by massive fires.
Born in New York, Adad Hannah spent his childhood in Israel and England but now lives and works between Montreal and Vancouver. The Raft of Medusa (Saint-Louis), produced in Saint-Louis, Senegal, combines photography, video, installation and performance to recreate and contemporize Théodore Géricault’s famous painting bearing the same title.
Sebastian Hutchings' Reliquary + Nocturne, for Norma is an interactive sculpture that acts as a container for a communication between the artist and his paternal grandmother. The foundation of the piece is Hutchings' grandmother's violin, letters he has written to her, and a violin composition dedicated to her. The piece is an ode to her in thanks for the encouragement and support she has given the artist.
Large and In Charge is on display from October 26, 2018 to January 27, 2019 in the Main Gallery. Read more about the Whyte Museum's exhibitions here.
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