Elizabeth Babyn: Hieroglyphs
P. Roch Smith: equilibration
January 3 – January 25, 2015
Reception:
Saturday, January 3, 2-5PM
Q+A
with the artists: Sunday, January 25, 2PM
loop Gallery is pleased to present Hieroglyphs, an exhibition by member artist Elizabeth
Babyn, and equilibration, an exhibition by member artist P. Roch
Smith.
In the past
several years, Elizabeth Babyn has been exploring the inter-relationship
between sacred geometry and the Fibonacci number sequences; where each number
within the sequence equals the sum of the two numbers before it. The golden
mean can also be obtained from this infinite sequence, resulting in proportions
that are constantly being repeated throughout sacred geometry and,
surprisingly, nature. This inherent connection to the universe and to
humankind is what drives Babyn’s work.
Evoking
ancient hieroglyphs, Babyn has chosen the language of mathematics to
meditatively and laboriously handwrite a portion of the Fibonacci number
sequences onto multiple large scale sheets of Tyvek. As a symbolic
gesture, a plinth heaped with Fibonacci equations on strips of paper will be on
offer to audience members; since these mathematical elements have the potential
to carry with them the purest revelation of universal truth.
Babyn views the
process of surrounding and enveloping gallery visitors within these eloquent
fundamental mathematical foundations as a metaphor for our connection to each
other and to nature.
Babyn and her husband
moved from Caledon, Ontario to Saskatoon three and a half years ago. She is
currently doing her MFA at the University of Saskatchewan and teaches art at
USCAD. Babyn received her BFA in Drawing and Painting from
OCAD and has exhibited in Italy and Canada. Her work can be found in
collections in Canada, Germany, and Switzerland. She has been a member of loop Gallery
since 2003.
Image:
'Hieroglyph 1' detail, 5' x 9', Tyvek and sharpies, 2014
In equilibration,
P. Roch Smith explores scale, restructuring expectations and notions of
play. He transforms plastic soldiers, skateboarders, Lego blocks, model
bombs, tanks, planes and ships by casting them in bronze – a material
traditionally used for monuments or grand sculptures. Smith challenges the medium’s
historical prestige, casting at a scale that renders the bronze
anti-heroic.
Smith's
constructions speak to work and play. The small bronze figures support
house forms or lift large objects - others move “body- sized” burdens up
inclines and ramps – still others are used as wall mounts and brackets.
To equilibrate is to bring into or keep in equilibrium, and there is a
precarious balance achieved within Smith’s work. At first blush, the Sisyphean nature of the
images conveys a sense of futility; with time, the sculptures reveal an honest
representation of the integrity of work and the importance of being intentional
in one’s efforts.
Toys have
always fascinated Smith – how they function, and how their meanings can
be read. For such simple objects, toys inhabit a complex space – a space
that might not be exclusive to issues of socialization, aggression,
domesticity, violence, gender and cooperation.
P. Roch Smith is a
sculptor and installation artist currently living and working in Toronto.
Born and raised in Victoria, he holds degrees from the University of Waterloo
(BES), Emily Carr University (BFA) and York University (MFA).
