Through a Collector's Eyes

Eclectic exhibition bridges modernism and contemporary practices in Canadian art.

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Felted sculptures, subdued abstract paintings and fantastical mixed-media works are but a few of the curiosities in Everywhere We Are, on view at Contemporary Calgary until Oct. 10. This eclectic exhibition features 37 Canadian artists through works in the collection of Calgary’s Ken Bradley. The show spans nearly five decades, opening a window into a vital period that bridges modernism and contemporary practices.

It’s no secret that collectors like to invest in promising young artists expected to shoot to stardom. This show is no exception, and also highlights the role collectors play in a complex ecosystem, where they help shape art history by supporting certain artists, dealers, curators and public collections.

The exhibition is grouped mostly by artist and while not chronological it has other connecting threads. For example, paintings by Calgary artist Ron Moppett are situated next to 1815/1962, a 2003 film and sculpture installation by his son, Damian. Several of Calgary artist Chris Cran’s works are displayed near pieces by his former students at the Alberta University of the Arts, including Chris Millar and DaveandJenn, the artist duo of David John Foy and Jennifer Saleik.

While the show is too sprawling and eclectic to neatly sum up under one thematic frame, it highlights Bradley’s fondness for works that are materially tactile, labour intensive and conceptually driven, as well as works that shift  between abstraction and figuration.

The main floor is dedicated to works by Luanne Martineau, Catherine Burgess, Ron Moppett, Damian Moppett, Gathie Falk, Liz Magor and Ryan Sluggett, along with a room focused mainly on abstract works by artists like Otto Rogers, David Urban and Arthur McKay. The upper galleries focus on artists like Chris Cran, Geoffrey Farmer, Christian Eckart, Steven Shearer and IAIN BAXTER&.

Martineau’s room features a large wall piece, Aidan’s Fiddle, commissioned by Bradley to commemorate the first communion and confirmation of his nephew, Aidan Larock. Constructed using industrial felt, yarn and other materials, the piece evokes the human body through layers that read like flayed skin. Centred on a grey cross, it's accentuated by colours seen in medieval transcripts. Artisanal craft, central to Martineau’s practice, both emulates and critiques the modernist aesthetic and its attribution to male artists. The piece is situated somewhere between abstraction and figuration.

Generational contrasts between artists, as well as their influences and individual trajectories, are also prominent, along with works that shift deftly between modernism and postmodernism. This not only highlights Bradley’s art historical knowledge, but also his interest in works that both embrace and critique modernist ideals.

For example, four paintings and two sculptures by Saskatchewan artist Otto Rogers exemplify modernism as it evolved in Canada. Rooted in traditions of cubism and constructivism, his paintings exhibit a masterful sense of subdued colour and subtle relationships between shapes, tones and paint application. In Slate Grey and Red Rose, a red foreground is intensified by contrasting squares of grey, and browns that not only elicit human connections to the land but also to urban spaces.

Cityscapes and landscapes are explored in other works, including photographic pieces by Vikky Alexander, mixed media and filmic works by Wyn Geleynse, David Hoffos and Damian Moppett, and metal sculptures by Catherine Burgess.

While seemingly minimal in their aesthetic, sculptures by Burgess, who is based in Edmonton, are a testament to subtleties of colour, surface and shape. Things as They Are: October 10, is a grouping of three floor sculptures and a wall piece. Each form poses questions about the relationship between flatness, texture, shape and tone. Burgess creates meditative spaces that require examination and contemplation.

A stark contrast is a hyper-real representation of a human face by Toronto-based Evan Penny. Eerily lifelike, the work demonstrates meticulous attention to detail. Yet its large size and slim profile remind us that it’s only a simulation.

Obsession with detail is explored in other works that are more fantastical than factual. Stunning pieces by Chris Millar delight with fictional worlds and objects inspired by toys, comic books, popular culture, video games and sci-fi. Reap, a free-standing sculpture, pushes conventions of form and narrative through meticulous detail and grand gestures of excess. Millar, now based in Montreal, transports us to a whimsical world where a grape tree grows in a wintry landscape, seemingly controlled through scientific experimentation.

While the volume of work in this exhibition can be overwhelming, once you are submerged, it’s easy to get lost in the labyrinth of detail, cleverness and aesthetic charm. The show, courtesy of the eyes of one collector, offers a rare opportunity to explore works made by pivotal artists from Calgary and consider their context within the larger Canadian art world. ■  

Everywhere We Are at Contemporary Calgary from April 15 to Oct. 10, 2021. The artists include Vikky Alexander, Marcel Barbeau, IAIN BAXTER&, Stephen Booth, Shary Boyle, Catherine Burgess, Roger Cantin, James Carl, Chris Cran, DaveandJenn, Joseph Drapell, Christian Eckart, Gathie Falk, Geoffrey Farmer, Wyn Geleynse, Ted Godwin, David Hoffos, Darryl Hughto, Ken HouseGo, Arthur McKay, Liz Magor, Luanne Martineau, Sandra Meigs, Chris Millar, Damian Moppett, Ron Moppett, Evan Penny, Otto Rogers, Steven Shearer, Ryan Sluggett, Michael Steiner, Ron Terada, David Urban, Ian Wallace, Ronald York Wilson and Etienne Zack.

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