loop Gallery is pleased to announce exhibitions by loop members Ester Pugliese entitled Empirical Spaces, and Sandra Smirle entitled Like/Unlike and other circular decisions.
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| Empirical Spaces by Ester Pugliese 2011 |
Ester Pugliese’s
Empirical Spaces is a series of mixed media paintings/drawings, which outline architectural / theatrical spaces and observations of the built and natural world, using sound and hearing as points of reference. The works identify spaces in which sounds resonate readily. The underlying abstract forms in these works are like internal organic structures. The outlines that float above the abstract ground are representations of Italian theatres, opera houses and church layouts. The layers present a challenge to the eye to perform in a way similar to the way our ears can discern a chosen sound amidst a din. Constructing a mental picture of each outline engages one's short term visual memory.
Ester Pugliese is a Toronto artist who has exhibited her work in Canada and England. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University in 2001, studied Painting at Leeds University in England and completed a post-graduate certificate in Arts Administration/Cultural Management in 2004. She is currently the Administrative Director at Loop Gallery and Development Coordinator at Arts for Children and Youth.
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| Like/Unlike by Sandra Smirle |
Like/Unlike and other circular decisions continues Sandra Smirle’s exploration of randomly selected locations, translated from aerial maps into large-scale drawings. As we settle into a digitally networked world of unrestrained surveillance, allegiances are cast and recast with spontaneity and abandon. Just as we effortlessly ‘like’ and ‘unlike’ in social media, so too can the information come too fast for us to make decisions about the real of figurative directions of our lives. Here the viewer is confronted by two maps: one like, and the other unlike, wherever it is – or was. Or perhaps they are the same place: a Rorschach ink blot, a kaleidoscope view of origin, destination and sentiment projected in shadow play. Maybe that’s where it’s going anyway, again, however the vote is cast. Translated as ones and zeros, decisions-making becomes easy – accessible and artless. Movements are instantaneous, if not without consequences.
Sandra Smirle is a mixed media artist whose work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions and juried group shows, and is in private collections in Canada, Australia and Europe. Recently, her work was selected for inclusion in The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography, published by Princeton Architectural Press. Sandra graduated from Concordia University with a B.F.A. in Experimental Design.
Please join the artists in celebrating their opening receptions on Saturday, March 19 from 2-5 pm.
