Anda Kubis: Lontano

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Anda Kubis, "Vivace Three, " 2020

oil on canvas, 48" x 48"

Opening Reception:

Saturday, November 26: 2:00 - 4:00 pm (Dependant on Covid-19)

Lontano (Italian for “from afar”) is a new body of work by Anda Kubis. Her new body of work is inspired by a teaching term in Florence in 2019, and further shaped by her return to Canada just as a pandemic was soon to usher in a new way of life. Having to deal with two vastly different realities back to back – reconciling a novel human and cultural connection (and subsequent sudden lack thereof) – Kubis found her Italian experience prematurely receding into memory. Physical presence, once taken for granted and now fleeting at best, had become a preoccupation and this new work is her response. The paintings in Lontano regain and solidify her Italian experience, by way of intensifying the visual power of each brushstroke, bloom, and band of colour within each painting.

In Florence, Venice, Modena and Rome, Kubis’ recollections of ever-changing atmospheric light seep into her surfaces and heighten her subtle brushwork and colour choices. Her slow, quiet process of observation and decision-making guide her signature bands and blooms of colour. They are infused as much by Renaissance palettes as they are from the contemporary hues of Gucci and Ferragamo. The sweeping full-bodied brushstrokes, the precision and energy required to make each stripe, each layer of each bloom, now feels like a declaration of presence. Yet when seen from afar, the paintings coalesce as brilliant images. They imply photographic or digital production. This play between old and new, real and virtual, are dualities that have been made richer still as a result of her time spent abroad. Her experience of repeated viewings of Giotto paintings and other early Renaissance artwork and architecture has forced Kubis to rethink the effects of pigments, surfaces and illusion in painting. Reminiscences of another time are embodied in each painting where they reward the viewer for prolonged contemplation. Vivid yet distant memories remain.

We are all afar now, our daily experiences altered dramatically. Lontano is a means of bringing us back a little closer.

Anda Kubis’ paintings have been widely exhibited across Canada in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Her work can be found in private and corporate collections throughout North America, including Global Affairs Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, NYC, Bank of Montreal, Inter Pipeline, Calgary, Keg Restaurants Ltd., and Nordstrom, to name a few. As a result of a long-standing career, Anda Kubis’work has been reviewed in Canadian Art Magazine and her paintings are also included in the publication, “Carte Blanche 2: Painting” printed by Magenta Publishing for the Arts.