Page 95 - The MoMA/ Guggenheim issue of World of Art magazine (2001)
P. 95

REVIEW OF EXHIBITIONS                                                            bY TAMARA PASZTOR
         of artists Joan Webb and Kenneth Webb   taught at Mary Immaculate Training College   manipulates her version of the celebrated
         has painted since childhood. At the age of   as a Professor of Art.     ritualistic idol as sensual and delicate.
         eighteen, she held her first exhibition at   She has exhibited at louisville (Kentucky).    Since 1970, Isla Burns has resided in
         the Kenny Gallery and solo exhibitions in   Atlanta (Georgia), San francisco, los Angeles,   Alberta, Edmonton, where she received her
         Dublin. Susan is involved with the Equestrian   and Santa fe (Mexico).  Masters of Visual Art from the University
         Society of Artists and the Society of Women                             of Alberta. Burns has exhibited throughout
         Artists.                            fENCE sITTERs                       Canada, England, and Spain. Her sculpture
                                             JASON GRINGLER AND                  can be found be at the Edmonton Art
         ExPREssIONIsm                       LUkE PAINTER                        Gallery, City of Barcelona (Spain), and the
         LUCIANO VALENTINOTTI                ANGELL GALLERY                      Canada Council Art Bank (Ottawa).
         WRITTEN BY LUCIANO VALENTINOTTI     TORONTO, CANADA
         AND TAMARA PASZTOR                  Jason Gringler and luke Painter have   PROTEAN dAwN
         Entertaining and lighthearted, the canvases   incorporated into their exhibition the   LAURIE A.CARLSON
         of luciano Valentinotti verbalizes the   reconnection to the world of painting genre   My creativity best arises from liberal
         twentieth century pith of Expressionism and        that has appeared to   thought and deep, genuine intuitions
         the Cubist Style.                                  slip into the cracks of   and empathies. Both my “mystic” and
                        Gatto Selvatico, Porto              21st century aesthetics.   “scientific” mental
                        Gemellare, and Cieco1               Painter is a         processes insist that
                        underscores the inner               print-maker whose    content, meaning,
                        experience rather than              plates form a series of   communication are
                        realistic portrayals. It            collages and transferred   primary-rather than
                        is the emotions and                 onto sheets—metal    form, surface, and
                        certain responses of                supports, paints, and   technique. However,
                        commonplace objects          UNTITlED  industrial landscape.   medium, method and
                        or events that ignites   JASON GRINGlER AND lUKE   In contrast, Gringler’s   aesthetic decisions
                                                      PAINTER
                        the images. In the case             abstract canvases    are merely important   SPUME ON A QUANTUM SHORE
                  CIECO 1                                                                           11 x 14 INCHES (28 x 36 CM)
                80 x 120 CM  of Gatto Selvatico and         resemble obscure     for exploring ways to   WATERCOlOR PENCIl
                 ACRIlICO  Porto Gemellare, the   figures and anatomical motions. Bits of paper,   express my ideas.
                    1999  expressive standpoint   tape, drawings, and miscellaneous objects    As a child, I felt
                        is interpreted through   are layered in the interior of the textured   strongly connected to all the phenomena
         a series of distortions and humourous   surface.                        of nature on Earth. I have valued many
         exaggerations.                      Jason and luke attempt to intermingle   faces of reality, and paths to knowledge,
         Pesci Con Onde is an examplification of the   traditional art and popular culture. The result   in which I seek to, bring into balance. My
         Analytic Cubist Style. Contrasts of brilliant   is a terrific medley of historical design,   early learning encompassed; -in addition
         colour and two-dimensional surface of the   printmaking, painting, and illustration. Hence,   to artistic practice: -Ancient Art History,
         picture plane, this work of art eliminates the   the label: fence Sitters where the individuals   Anthropology, Goddesses, literature,
         traditional methodology of foreshortening   are positioned between the delicate   Creative Writing, Spiritual Practices, women
         and modeling. Here, the geometrical facets   boundary of the conventional and heretic.  as thinkers and artists.
         have become smaller and prism-like where                                 later my love of nature and quest for
         everything fits into an orderly jigsaw puzzle.  NEw sCULPTURE           comprehension extended from the
                                             ISLA BURNS                          subatomic universe to the story of the
         CLARE RYTHms mOsTLY                 GALLERY ONE                         Cosmos that which gave birth to our
         NOIRIN MOONEY                       TORONTO, CANADA                     beloved planet. Spectacular, startling, and
         THE kENNY GALLERY                   “Metal does not have to be aggressive  even surreal discoveries at the frontiers
         GALWAY, IRELAND                     and remade, it has so many personalities and I   of knowledge ignited my imagination.
         Natural colours of the Burren and the   want mine to be soft and tangible.”computer,   “Space” has become ever more present
         pultrichtude of the rock grikes, artist Noirin   I knew that I had won.”  in my drawing, painting, poetry and
         Mooney revives in her canvasses. With each   Putting into service the cerebral and artistic   other writings. Yet my images tend to be
                        brushstroke, purity of   stimuli of Calcutta, India sculptor Isla Burns   imaginative, visionary, rather than purely
                        line and expressive   unfolds the dimensions of corporeal and   realistic; because I seek the metaphors to
                        contours imparts a                  ethereal.            express my sense of our human intimacy
                        dreamlike romanticized               Employed as a       with the subtle, complex interplay of chaos
                        style. Celtic musicians             professional welder in   and order in the Celestial Stratosphere (an
                        adorn Mooney’s works                the Alberta Oil fields,   example of a vision: the colossal, Proteus-
                        of art and incite the               Burns expressed a    like god-beast at the left in Protean Dawn
                        social spirit of Ireland.           curiosity with the   from whose arching arms and hands spill
                         In an odd manner,                  forging of raw steel,   the stuff of creation.at the lower rim of
        fIDDlER         these paintings evoked              heating, and moulding   the nebula’s central clearing, a small, dark
        OIl ON CANVAS   memories of a wind                  the material into    woman-shaped knot of interstellar dust and
        24” x 18”
                        swept moor, musicians   MINOAN SNAKE GODDESS   diversified shapes.  gas [one of many human or animal-shaped
                        weaving a rich and     Of KNOSSOS, CRETE   Snake Goddess of   knots or globules] appears to lift an offering
                                                     fAIENCE
         dance inspired Celtic tapestry of song,   13 ½” (34.3 CM)  Knossos (Isla Burns)   of burning incense).
         drawing upon beloved folk tradition.        1600 BCE  is both a familiar, yet    Universal laws, patterns and systems
         Born in County Galway, Noirin Mooney               extrinsic adaptation   spiral a galaxy, a hurricane, a whirlpool, a
         spent most of her childhood and mature   of the Minoan Snake Goddess of Knossos   seashell, our DNA; exploding supernovas
         years in County Clare. Graduated from the   from Crete, Greece. Both sculptural works   and volcanoes; cause black holes,
         Galway University, Noirin received her ATC   of art employ the same stance with arms   catastrophic landslides; condense stars,
         Degree at the College of Art in  limerick and   outstretched and encircled by vipers. Isla   forge elements from interstellar clouds;


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