AINTING by David Spriggs Flipping through the few decent contemporary magazines and books today, it seems that painting has perhaps lost the spotlight that it once had in the art world. Painting has finally become an alternative medium of expression. It is not that a lesser quality of paintings are made, it's that the hierarchical establishment of the art world thought that it was time for something else. Painters everywhere should celebrate this newly acquired freedom, and cherish this moment before the establishment puts you under a flood light; watching your every gesture. The 11 Painters exhibition brings together a selec- tion of current work that is being made in the for- gotten, cramped painting studio spaces of Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. The exhibit, which was curated by Krisdy Shindler and shown in the Concourse Gallery, gives prominence to painting and reminds us that it is still a happening thing. (Students, do you really want your gallery to be called the concourse? No.) Laura Madera's exciting semi-abstract paintings bring together a whole bunch of painting tech- niques. Her paintings of cars incorporate line, colour feilds, big brush strokes, and poured pud- dles of vibrant colour. Together these varied tech- niques create a strong composition. Painted directly on the far back wall of the Concourse Gallery lies Mia Thomsett's piece. Reminiscent of graffiti, these crude figurative drawings capture the viewer with their intensity and prominence. The figures are overlapped and meshed together and become a unified piece, giv- ing the impression of a church fresco. Ron Denessen’s piece, Between 0101, consists of two large curved panels placed side by side which rise up above the viewer. The minimal aesthetic of flat colour and seemingly lack of subject makes the viewer aware of their body. The painting's incredible sky blues and subtle curves, both paint- ed and structurally made, create a calming sensa- tion. The work guides the viewer's eye upwards, as if one were looking up at the sky. It is a place for the eyes to rest against the harsh whites and greys of the gallery. While most of the work in the show seems unre- alized and unclear in intent, it won't be long before we start seeing some of the 11 painters gaining the attention that they deserve. painters March 10 + 482001 Krisdy Shindler Ron Denessen Mia Thomsett Farnoosh Abasi Damon Djos Alex Campbell Opening Reception Monday March RAFFITI (excerpts) images and text by Pat Rafferty As a singular noun the term graffiti is popularly accepted and commonly used to refer to both the plural and singular forms of graffiare which means to scribble on a wall... Urban centers are home to a variety of graffiti sub- cultures linked by significant crosscurrents around the world. In the mid-six- ties large urban centers such as Vancouver, Montreal, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Seattle became fertile ground for the pro- liferation of three distinct forms of graffiti: tag, wildstyle and social/ political graffiti. These categories continue to be recognized and emulated as dis- tinctly evolved styles by enthusiasts around the world. The label “tag” has come to stand for a group of highly stylized letters in a format that makes the end result appear much like a commercial logo publicizing the alias of a graffitist or the code name of a “crew”. In New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Kathleen Seltzer, Kenny Scharf, and Vancouver—born Richard Hambleton achieved success as up-and-coming stars when their work was declared as art by the New York art circuit. Astute gallery owners observed the animated interac- tion between the public and these brash young upstarts and recognized a chance to inspirit an economically sluggish mainstream art scene. Concurrent with the founding of tag and wildstyle graffiti a series of provocative little remarks began to appear on downtown walls in urban centers. This work is popularly categorized as political/social graffiti and has been around since the beginning of time. The work was visually as well as socially provocative with the interfacing of graphic images and text. Pat Rafferty is in her final year in photography at Emily Carr. Her writing and photography appear in a variety of journals, books and magazines. 23 ~@, oe AINTING by David Spriggs Flipping through the few decent contemporary ‘magazines and books today, it seems that painting has perhaps lost the spotlight that it once had in the art world. Painting has finally become an alternative medium of expression. Itis not that a lesser quality of paintings are made, it’s that the hierarchical establishment of the art world thought that it was time for something else. Painters everywhere should celebrate this newly acquired freedom, and cherish this moment before the establishment puts you under a flood light; watching your every gesture. The 11 Painters exhibition brings together a selec- tion of current work that is being made in the for- gotten, cramped painting studio spaces of Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. The exhibit, which was curated by Krisdy Shindler and shown in the Concourse Gallery, gives prominence to painting and reminds us that its still a happening thing. (Students, do you really want your gallery to be called the concourse? No.) Laura Madera's exciting semi-abstract paintings bring together a whole bunch of painting tech- niques. Her paintings of cars incorporate line, colour feilds, big brush strokes, and poured pud- dles of vibrant colour. Together these varied tech- niques create a strong composition. Painted directly on the far back wall of the Concourse Gallery lies Mia Thomsett’s piece. Reminiscent of graffiti, these crude figurative drawings capture the viewer with their intensity and prominence. The figures are overlapped and meshed together and become a unified piece, giv- ing the impression of a church fresco. Ron Denessen's piece, Between 0101, consists of two large curved panels placed side by side which tise up above the viewer. The minimal aesthetic of flat colour and seemingly lack of subject makes the viewer aware of their body. The painting's incredible sky blues and subtle curves, both paint- ed and structurally made, create a calming sensa- tion. The work guides the viewer's eye upwards, as if one were looking up at the sky. Its a place for the eyes to rest against the harsh whites and greys of the gallery While most of the work in the show seems unre- alized and unclear in intent, it won't be long before we start seeing some of the 11 painters gaining the attention that they deserve. painters RAFFITI (excerpts) images and text by Pat Rafferty ‘As a singular noun the term graffiti is popularly accepted and commonly used to refer to both the plural and singular forms of graffiare which means to scribble on a wall... Urban centers are home to a variety of graffiti sub- cultures linked by significant crosscurrents around the world. In the mid-six- ties large urban centers such as Vancouver, Montreal, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Seattle became fertile ground for the pro- liferation of three distinct forms of graffiti: tag, wildstyle and social/political graffiti. These categories continue to be recognized and emulated as dis- tinctly evolved styles by enthusiasts around the worl. The label “tag” has come to stand for a group of highly stylized letters in a format that makes the end result appear much like a commercial logo Publicizing the alias of a grafftist or the code name of a “crew" In New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Kathleen Seltzer, Kenny Scharf, and Vancouver-born Richard Hambleton achieved success as up-and-coming stars when their work was declared as art by the New York art circuit. Astute gallery owners observed the animated interac- tion between the public and these brash young upstarts and recognized a chance to inspirit an economically sluggish mainstream art scene. Concurrent with the founding of tag and wildstyle graffiti a series of provocative little remarks began to appear on downtown walls in urban centers. This work is popularly categorized as political/social graffiti and has been around since the beginning of time. The work was visually as well as socially provocative with the interfacing of graphic images and text. Pat Rafferty is in her final year in photography at Emily Carr. Her writing and photography appear in a variety of journals, books and magazines. 23 @