June 24 & 25 from 1-4pm or by appointment

A double show of mixed media works
June 26 – July 25, 2009
Opening reception: Friday, June 26, 7:30 pm

“Very Small Array” by Sylvia Matas (Winnipeg, MB)
and
“Familiar Territory: Excerpts” by Lois Schklar (Toronto, ON)

Matas, “Confetti”

Sylvia Matas is a visual artist from Winnipeg, Canada. She received her BFA from the University of Manitoba in 2003 and her MFA at Chelsea College in London, England in 2008. She has been involved in numerous group exhibitions, screenings, and art fairs in Canada, the USA, and UK.

Her recent work reveals her curiosity with perception, time, the formal and functional qualities of everyday things, and cycles through an exploration of the qualities of everyday things.

“I’m curious about the things that are not normally perceivable or visible and the idea that multiple levels of reality are co-existing. We are aware of things that are beyond our perception such as the activities of quantum particles and the existence of distant and massive stars and galaxies. I want to find a way to experience on a more personal level these phenomena that appear unreal or magical.” – Sylvia Matas.

Schklar, Detail #FT3

Toronto artist Lois Schklar uses a variety of found objects, graphite drawings and various connecting materials to create three-dimensional wall drawings, exploring the formal
qualities of line, space and movement.

Her installations map a personal geographic location charting directions taken or not taken and connecting the past to the present. Graphite traces this journey while text records the relationship to the objects, a visual testimony to the power of memory. The drawings are ephemeral casting shadows both real and illusory as they shift on the walls. Each drawing installation builds on the ideas of the preceding installations.

“Recently I have been working with “excerpts” from larger installations. By isolating elements of the original installation, I emphasize the minimal use of materials. I am interested in finding the essence of a place through this reduction.” – Lois Schklar.