Memories can be tricky things. Though we often wish they could be fully formed, chronological catalogues of an entire lifetime, they’re more likely to be snapshots of moments past or a simple feeling of association. In All That Remains, the exhibit on display at the Union Gallery, memories are represented through the paintings and mixed media works of three Queen’s BFA students.
Jessica Rice, Ashley Way and Amber Thienpont, all fourth-year art students, each evoke nostalgic glimpses in different ways.
Rice focuses on the meanings found in objects. “I Fragments,” one of the first sets greeting you as you enter the gallery, is composed of a number of mixed media pieces on boards. The larger pieces are made up of overlapping images and patterns suggesting memory’s interwoven nature. One image, such as an old newspaper or a bicycle, stands out against a jumble of faded, rust coloured scraps. The smaller pieces appear almost as fuzzy black-and-white photos with unclear subjects, fraying at the edges.
Rice continues this theme with her second set of three large oil paintings with mixed-media components. These paintings are largely done in oil and would appear flat and almost lifeless if not for the texture added by the mixed media. “Effusions of Light” is the most successful of this series, creating an almost dreamlike vision of water juxtaposed with a more realistically textured building.
In contrast, Way seems interested in literally turning beauty on its head, perhaps as an indictment of the idealization of memory. Her oil paintings all feature startlingly detailed people, right-side up in an upside-down landscape. Way is able to capture and reproduce lifelike figures with astounding technique. The people in her paintings seem to radiate warmth and hint at some sort of inner turmoil or reflection. Way’s style is most fully realized in “Eden ed,” two canvases featuring a man and woman turned away from each other, deep in thought. The stormy blues of the man’s canvas work well against the earthy greens of the woman’s to suggest two unique stories that are somehow related.
Finally, Thienpont uses portraits as a form of memory in her works, which draw you to them with their frenetic energy. Thienpont works with charcoal, graphite and mixed media to sketch out vital portraits that have a raw, unfinished quality to them. The pieces, with names such as “Courtney,” “Josh” and “Ashley,” dare you to scour your memory in the hope of recognizing the subjects, who are represented in ways that look like 21st century re-imaginings of stuffy family portraits.
Though the concept of memories pervades the gallery, the show’s concept is actually threefold.
According to its official description, “All that remains is the environment that sustains us, and the breaking point that it has reached. All that remains are remnants of the past, time worn objects and places whose functions fade as quickly as the memories they hold. All that remains are the marks that form the individual.” While some will find greater meaning in the concept of the environment the artists present, the reflection on memory stands out as the most vibrant message in the exhibit and is compelling enough to recommend taking a trip into the folds of the artists’ memories with All That Remains.
Running at the same time as All That Remains is The Neologary, a study in the deconstruction of language. Artists Rebecca Soudant and Paul Reynolds engage visitors, offering them the chance to make up words and redefine words that have fallen out of common usage by adding new words to a dictionary.
Like the main exhibit, The Neologary is unique in the way it plays with a concept’s fluidity. The English language isn’t set in stone, but rather an interactive process for people to have fun with. All That Remains and The Neologary are on at the Union Gallery until Mar. 4. A closing reception will be held at the gallery on Friday, Feb. 29 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].