Name: Elemental
Item: TrépanierBaer
Author: Lissa Robinson

It’s compelling to see work made by artists who share aesthetic sensibilities or make work rooted in similar artistic traditions or movements. Such is the case in a new Calgary exhibition, Elemental, which features work by Martha Townsend, Stéphane La Rue and Al McWilliams.

On view at TrépanierBaer until June 3, the show features minimalist sculptures, paintings and works on paper that belie their complexity while poetically disrupting minimalist ideals about colour, materiality and geometric form.

The works, curated by gallerist Yves Trépanier and Victoria-born artist Vikky Alexander, are eloquent – both individually and collectively – in the ways they decisively blur the lines between painting, drawing and sculpture.

Minimalists sought to create austere objects that emphasized anonymity over the emotive excesses of Abstract Expressionism, but these artists have imbued their work with subtle motifs, illusionistic space and figurative forms.

Stéphane La Rue, “Sans-titre (Baroque) no.2,” 2020, aluminum and wood, 33" x 33"

La Rue, who lives in Montreal, takes a formalist approach to exploring illusionary space using manipulated materials like wood, gesso and metal. His works are elegant and witty, with playful contrasts between colour, texture and light.

For example, in Sans-titre (Baroque) no.2, an aluminum sheet is stretched tightly around a wooden painting frame. Its surface is embellished with intricate, interwoven patterns and lines made with an electric sander. The result is a luminous drawing-like sculpture that shimmers with refracted and reflected light.

Martha Townsend, “Lentilles,” 2018, Canson and Arches paper, 22.5" x 30"

Alexander, who followed La Rue’s practice when she lived in Vancouver, got to know it better after moving to Montreal. A conversation with La Rue and Townsend, who also lives in Montreal, revealed overlapping material and formal affinities. Alexander intuitively linked them to McWilliams, who had shared studio space with her in Vancouver after they met as students at what was then the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax.

In contrast to La Rue’s affinity for the square are the spheres and ellipses that permeate Townsend’s sensual yet minimalist aesthetic. Her work can be described as compact or dense in both its saturated colours and its materiality, including leather, granite and thick paper. She emphasizes surface textures that contrast with sharp and pristine edges.

1 of 2

Martha Townsend, “Cooking Place,” 1994

slate and granite rocks, dimensions vary, and, on the walls, “Voie,” 2018, painted ash, each lath 4" x 96"

2 of 2

Martha Townsend, “Tondo Tondo,” 2006

aluminum, MDF and cherry veneer 59" x 1"

In works like Lentilles and Voie, extreme geometric forms made from thin materials cut from wood or coloured paper are transformed into illusionistic voids and voluptuous pillows. Such subtle references to landscape or the domestic are also present in Tondo Tondo and Cooking Place. She often juxtaposes simple, yet richly textured materials like black slate, grey granite, muted aluminum and cherry veneer.

Al McWilliams, “Red Form 2,” 2017, granite on aluminum, 30" x 22"

Such poetic arrangements are echoed in curious wall sculptures by McWilliams. Shifting between patterns and forms found in nature, his objects confound their simple geometry. For example, in Red Form 2, an amoeba-shaped relief sculpture seems to float against a white wall. Made of red granite on aluminum, its heft defies gravity – what seems like a unified form is actually dissected into disparate but coherent blocks. To further complicate its minimalist facade, the surface erupts into a kaleidoscope of patterns and colours.

While Elemental includes various minimalist approaches and techniques, there is an almost magical continuity and sense of unity between works. Defying stereotypical expectations, these artists present objects that are complex, elegantly constructed and quietly clever. ■

Elemental: Martha Townsend, Stéphane La Rue and Al McWilliams at TrépanierBaer in Calgary from April 20 to June 3, 2023.

PS: Worried you missed something? See previous Galleries West stories here or sign up for our free biweekly newsletter.