Stay up late in the Distillery!
Curated by Thom Sokoloski, ‘Futurism Today or NOT!’ will examine the artistic originality of the Futurists and how it can be reinterpreted today as a significant artistic movement of humanity’s inventiveness and/or a fleeting simulacrum of an artificial optimism appropriated by the zeitgeist of its times.
The drawings and paintings of Miriam Cabessa are focused explorations of direct contact between the artist and surface. Neither the product of a pencil or a brush, this work flies in the face of tradition. At first glance, it is nearly impossible to decypher the process behind these creations. Certainly, there is no familiar trace of brushstrokes or hatching—and this is perplexing.
The precision inherent in Cabessa’s work ignites the imagination. Instead of viewing the work as an autonomous object, the mind automatically tries to unravel the process by which it was created. And until 2009, when Cabessa revealed her signature technique in a painting performance at Pulse New York art fair, her process remained largely a mystery.
Using oil on linen or masonite, or powdered graphite and turpentine on paper, Cabessa creates a surface wash that is sensitive to her touch in the same way that photographic paper is sensitive to light. The image is always created by exposing negative spaces: pulling or scraping pigment aside to heighten the contrast of her compositions. The images she crafts are traces of her movements; essentially they are drawings in light. Critic John Yau writes that, “Cabessa’s composition is a record of a single, sustained and segmented gesture, a discrete performance.”[i] (more…)
On September 22, we held our opening reception for Miriam Cabessa’s In Her Wake at the Julie M. Gallery in Toronto. Invitees enjoyed an evening of new works, wine and a live performance inside the gallery by the artist herself.
Miriam Cabessa – In Her Wake, originally uploaded by juliemgallery.
Miriam Cabessa’s solo exhibition will run from September 22 to October 30, 2011.
You can view more photos of the reception and live performance here!
Click to RSVP on Facebook!
Julie M. Gallery for Contemporary Art 