YorkU Juried BFA Exhibition

I'm happy to announce that I will be part of the Juried BFA Exhibition of York University graduating students at Gallery 1313! The information is there on the poster, but in case it's not clear, here it is again:

Where: Gallery 1313 (1313 Queen St. West)
When: March 16 - 27, 2016
Reception: Saturday March 19, 3-6pm

I'm incredibly excited to be one of the students to be included in this show, and super proud of all my fellow printmakers who are also going to be a part of this! Jane & co. (AKA The Plainest Weave; AKA what I had been working on pretty much all of last semester) will be making their appearance here, and I'm very much looking forward to having them up in a gallery setting (their debut having been at our York University Open House).

In addition to this, I will also be participating in a print exchange held by the Toronto Printmaking Coalition! In tandem with the exchange itself will take place an exhibition of all the prints at Graven Feather from June 8 - July 3, with the reception on Thursday June 16.

It's an incredibly busy time of year for me right now - never mind the thesis I have to write for my psychology degree! - and while it comes with its accompanying stress, I do really enjoy participating in all these events and becoming more a part of the art/print community.

On Forgetting One's Camera...

Gallery setup with loom

... On reception night. And so there are only pictures of the gallery space without any human presence. But I did get to install the working(!) loom I built, which I felt was pretty amazing in and of itself, for me personally. Even more amazing? Visitors actually wove on it! There's a good chunk woven by people coming into the gallery! I've finished the rest of the warp, which wasn't much, and just need to finish the piece and take pictures of it.

That entire red section, plus half of the grey (below) was woven by visitors!

 The turnout was more than I could have hoped for or even imagined - a huge thank you to those who came to celebrate my show with me!

Also, take a look at that shed.

I have to say, woven into fine print is the show I have been the happiest about during the actual show itself, even just right after we finished the set-up. Everything came out just as I envisioned it, and it all came together cohesively. It's lovely when things work out just right.

Also, I will be posting images of each of the pieces, complete with detail shots, hopefully soon.

woven into fine print

woven into fine print is up! It's been one week, but I finally got around to taking photos of the show, and I've got to say: I'm pretty happy with it! This is the first time I've felt quite so satisfied with a show right after setting it up. Such a good feeling.

The largest wall plus its adjacent

A lot of white and off-white, which is definitely my style. Also the incorporation of textiles into my work -textiles being my other better half (the other better half being printmaking, of course) - makes me feel as though this first solo show came together really well. In addition to which it also encompasses most of the things I explore in my artwork, namely language, process itself (whether it be printmaking or textiles, or even language), and the materials I use.

"How we do one thing is how we do anything" (Laura Spencer King, via Apiece Apart). This quote resonates with me a lot, and I think that it applies to my work: the way I approach printmaking is the way I approach knitting or weaving, and I'm not sure whether I chose both these time-consuming, labour-intensive, and detail-oriented processes because that is the way I am, or if I am the way I am because I chose to do them. I'm glad I found printmaking, and glad that I have finally been able to incorporate my textiles into my print work.

I also must extend a big thank you to Shirley & co. once more for helping me with my install! I could not have done it without them (or if I did, I would have had to stay overnight).

Check out my first solo show at Gales Gallery (York University, in the ACW building, right beside the waterslide/fountain)! The reception is Thursday October 15, from 6-9, and I guarantee good food and company, as well as fibre-related fun all around!

Upcoming Show: woven into fine print @ Gales (Oct. 5-16)

I'm excited to announce my upcoming show, woven into fine print, at Gales Gallery, located on the York University Keele Campus in the Accolade West building (ACW), which will feature most of what I've been working on last year (some of which I'm finishing up within these weeks leading up to the show!).

The concepts I have been working with include language and process, as well as a focus on materials. Two bodies of work that I have been working on over the past year or so - knit/weave and line'n'form - will finally make their appearance, along with some other standalone pieces.

The closing reception is on Thursday October 15, from 6-9pm, and will be a blast. Come join me for good food, fibery delights, and good (sober) company.

space exhibition

My section of the show

Shirley's prints

Shirley's prints

The rest of my prints, with set-up tools on the side

 Here are some photos of the show! I took them right after we finished setting up, so lighting isn't perfect, but that came together in due time. It looked amazing, and the whole experience was incredibly exciting! Our works complemented each other despite their differences, and I can't say enough good things about the whole process. We got lots of very positive feedback, and although I don't have any photos from reception night, it was a blast! I can't wait to get another show up and running! Some prints are in the works, so possibly sometime next year or next semester (if I can find a space), I'll be able to put one together.

A huge thank you to Shirley, who was so much more prepared for our first set-up than I was! She has really incredible works (I'm especially in love with her woodcuts - AMAZING), and I'm really glad we got to have a joint show together. Check out more of her art at surelyliang!

SPG Oct.27 - Nov.7

shut up (2) detail, etching on Japanese paper, 12.5 x 48", 2013

Joint show with Shirley Liang.

Where: Special Projects Gallery on York University Keele campus
When: October 27 to November 7, 2014
Reception: November 6, starting at 5:30