Quick Pick - Carl White at Gallery Merrick

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Carl White, “A Scholar,” oil on board, 21" x 23" (photo courtesy of Gallery Merrick)

Carl White’s latest exhibition, Classical Irreverence, is inspired by graffiti art and the Old Masters; the results are fresh and colourful, with a nod to both historical art and modern times. 

The show opens Aug. 9 with an artist’s talk at 7:30 p.m. and is on view until Aug. 21 at Gallery Merrick in Victoria, British Columbia.

“In my art, classical forms and motifs are reimagined through a lens of modern subversion. I take inspiration from the masters, yet I infuse their influence with contemporary sensibilities, often blending high art with elements of popular culture, satire, and unconventional materials,” White says. “This approach questions the sanctity of the classical canon and invites viewers to reconsider what is deemed worthy of reverence.”

Born in England, White holds a diploma from the Alberta College of Art and Design (now Alberta University of the Arts) in Calgary, where he still lives. His work is found in collections across North America and in 2005, he was nominated for a Sobey Art Award.

“In the way that a poet would seek to understand language with the goal of approaching the sublime, I have tried to understand painting with similar purpose,” he says. “I am painting poems, images that dance between realism and abstraction, text and flesh, with the hope that the viewer experiences rather than views.” ■

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