The Artist Project

I took the opportunity to go and view the Artist Project show this weekend past down at the Exhibition Grounds in Toronto. The weather was specifically horrid, but no more so that it has continued to be so as winter has settled in for the entire month of February, so Friday evening was as good as any to go and peruse this indoor show of current and aspiring Canadian artists.

I went with a friend and we traveled the aisles looking for, well, just looking really. Overall it was a good show of talented artists, all at differing stages of their “careers” to use a useless word. It’s nice that we like somewhat differing styles and art, as this makes for intriguing notations while browsing the art booths.
We were both inspired by Lauren Blakey’s sculptural pieces, and even purchased a few. I find that I am more and more drawn to three-dimensional works now, both in creation and viewing pleasure.

Also we agreed on Julia Veenstra’s paintings, although now reading a description of her artwork as an “impressionistic representational” makes me like it less so. The pieces themselves are filled with dynamic movement of colour and light, so why anyone would ruin such with yet another coined ‘impressionistic’ phrase makes my stomach churn a response; however, I still enjoyed the physicality of her lustily applied colour.

A view the ‘untapped’ artist section was interesting, as I’m sure these are the artists we’ll be seeing in future shows. One caught my eye from a distance as being potentially a comment on our current health issues, and that was of a small portrait executed with globs and globs of yellow paint dripping from what was to have been an otherwise traditional portrait. The image I remember, while the artist I don’t – to me this is still a good thing, however, as the image has stayed in memory. That alone is a remarkable thing having just viewed such an extensive show of artwork. Of course, when I went online to find the name, as it would be nice to mention it here, I can only find the work of Alifan, whom I can assume to become a desired painter to collect by many in the future.

What I don’t like about this work is as separate as why I do like the globs of yellow – Alifan’s work is obviously executed from a photograph and it’s painted to follow the current art trend of large detailed canvas faces or heads. Honestly, if I see another I could just rot; there is so many now, it really doesn’t matter how good they are executed, I just want to see someone with an original idea for themselves make a piece of art.

There were of course many very talented painters. The realism depicted was authentic and viable, and whether water, landscape or object all were very well executed. David Hockney’s comment was harkened to mind as saying ‘if you can paint one raindrop, of course you can paint a hundred’ (I’m paraphrasing of course, but it was something like that), a comment which has relevance in art objects. When working in this arena and aspiring to the perfection of realism, you better damn well get it perfect – trying doesn’t cut the mustard. I saw some work that could really have used some condiment assistance, and it shouldn’t have to.

I guess perhaps I was missing the opportunity to be challenged by what I was seeing, which one could climb out on that limb and define as sofa art. It would all look wonderful over our padded couches and fill that empty wall space nicely in a home, and even blend in nicely with our current trends in décor – all good things for artists wishing and needing to sell art to make a living. But little leapt out at me and demanded to “be seen” by my eyes. Save for but one small, mucus covered portrait, none cried out for attention as being relevant to today’s issues or pushed the boundaries of saying what needs to be said in a public forum, whether or not it’s politically correct in any forum.

I yearn for that. And I will look again for it at another art show. An artist needs to make us feel something, over and beyond what our lives are already saturated with before we walk through the doors of an art show. It’s not a simple request; it’s a tall demand that needs to be filled.