Installation Shots: Ester Pugliese

The mixed media paintings in Ester Pugliese's Empirical Spaces exhibition at loop Gallery use Italian architecture to draw connections between seeing and hearing. The works identify spaces, environments and living things that bring acoustic qualities to mind, against a cacophony-like backdrop of colours and forms. Each work posits formal Roman architecture against the arched porches of Toronto homes as viewed on Google street view. The show is as much a playful look at Italian culture and identity, as it is a reflection on how we synthesize and extract colours, sounds and ideas from the stuff we observe.














Documented by Brian Burnett.

Last Chance to see Ingrid Mida and JJ Lee's Exhibition at Loop Gallery

Ere we shall meet again
by Ingrid Mida 2011

There are four days left to see the work of Ingrid Mida and JJ Lee at Loop Gallery. The gallery will be open on Thursday, February 10 to Saturday, February 12th from noon to 5 pm. The show will close on Sunday, February 13th at 4 pm following a 3 pm reading of The White Tortoise of Ch'u by author Fabian Boutilier and artist JJ Lee.

Author Fabian Boutilier and Artist JJ Lee
Photo by Ester Pugliese, 2011

Both artists were interviewed for Art Sync TV. As well, Ingrid Mida's series All is Vanity was reviewed by DF Krouskie for the loop blog and JJ Lee's work was mentioned by RM Vaughan in his Globe & Mail gallery feature. And Ingrid recently was honoured with an invitation to speak about her work at the American Costume Society conference in the fall.

Q&A with Ingrid Mida

Ingrid Mida and Lyla Rye

On Saturday afternoon, Lyla Rye moderated the Question and Answer session for loop member Ingrid Mida. Ingrid began the conversation with a brief overview of her series All is Vanity, describing the narrative and sequence of her photographs presenting the journey of grief.

Some of the questions Lyla asked Ingrid during their conversation included the following:

What does All is Vanity mean?
Vanitus Vanitum, or All is Vanity,  is a biblical warning against pursuing earthly accomplishments and pleasures in the face of certain death. While other artists have typically used the still life genre of painting to portray this in their work, I used it to inspire this series of photographic works to portray the journey of grief.

How does Versailles fit into the series?
My interests in the 18th century drew me to reference Versailles because it represents a place of opulence, extravagance and vanity. It is beautiful but it also is a place where very sad events occurred.

Why did you use yourself as a model?
Lyla, you were the one who encouraged me to be more personal with my work and this is about as personal as it gets. I initially approached this as an experiment and wasn't really sure whether it would work out. And I have to admit I was pretty apprehensive about being in the photos and how people (including my family) would react to that. In most of the images, I blurred my face or am looking away. I also should give credit to Cindy Sherman's work. I read an interview with her in the London Times in which she said that her photos were self portraits but not about her. I feel that way about these works.

Why did you chose this dress?
I acquired four dresses from Opera Atelier during their costume sale in the spring. I wasn't really sure how I would use them but thought that they might become an interesting part of an art installation. This dress was the most opulent and extravagant and best fit the theme of this series.

Why are the images black and white even though they are digital images?
I wanted the photos to have a haunting and mystical quality. Making them black and white helped achieve that I think. The black and white presentation makes it less about the dress and more about the mood. 

What aspect of fashion are you inspired by?
I am interested in how clothes can embody memory and identity. In particular, clothes give clues about a person's identity and self image even if they are not aware of it. (To hear more about this topic, watch the clip filmed at the q&a here.)

Do you see this work taking any other form like a book?
The response to this series has made me wonder if the photographs could be turned into a book. People who have seen the work have mentioned that the journey of grief is so rarely presented in art work and I feel that it is an important message that I am conveying here. Someone said it was like seeing the book "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion as an artwork. 

Since this work is about grief and mourning, if you had to dedicate it to one person, who would it be?
I've grieved the loss of my father, my brother Peter, my sister-in-law Carrie, my father-in-law and friends including Brian, Joe, and Diana. If I had to dedicate this work to one person, it would be my brother Peter Masak, who died in a glider accident in 2004. It was the phone call that I received about his plane going down that I think of when I look at the image "Oft Shall Death and Sorrow Reign". It was a phone call I never expected to get given that my brother was a talented pilot. My life changed in that instant and while it was not the first loss I had experienced, it was the most shocking and unexpected loss. And since it was my brother Peter who taught me about working in the darkroom, coming back to photography with this series is deeply meaningful for me. 

To watch the Artsync tv interview that was filmed during Ingrid's opening reception, click the link here or http://www.artsync.ca/opening-ingrid-mida/

Ingrid Mida's exhibition All is Vanity continues at loop Gallery through to Sunday, February 13, 2011.

ArtSync

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I didn't know about ArtSync until I heard that they were interested in interviewing JJ Lee and me at the opening of our shows last weekend. But after watching Artsync TV on Rogers Cable 10 and taking a closer look at their website, I have to say I'm very excited to have been included.

The ArtSync website and tv show offer a way to stay connected with what's happening in the art scene in Toronto and Canada without leaving the comfort of home.

Here is how they describe themselves:

ArtSync.ca is a dynamic online sanctuary for all those interested and involved in Canadian art: its creators, conspirators, critics, and cheerleaders. We’ve furnished our site with a gallery directory, exhibition shortlist, and event calendar; listings for jobs, submission calls, and other opportunities; reviews, blogs and forums for discussing the latest in the scene; and, in collaboration with our affiliated television program, video footage of recent openings and interviews.  We strive to be focused and selective about the information we distribute so as to provide readers with the most current and vital information about the visual arts in Canada.


ArtSync TV is Toronto’s visual voice for contemporary art.  Grounded in an awe for the art of this city, we’re committed to following, sharing, and celebrating the best of it with our Roger’s Cable and online audiences. The show airs every Friday night at 7 on channel 10, with clips available online shortly thereafter. ArtSync TV covers Toronto’s latest openings and current shows, and profiles the artists and arts professionals who make the city so vital. The artwork featured is accomplished and edgy, significant and timely, and relevant locally, nationally, and internationally.


ArtSync is the product of Link Design and Multimedia, a Toronto-based initiative that has promoted contemporary visual art, video, new media and film since 2001. 


I wish I could remember what I said during the interview. I just hope I sounded somewhat coherent! I think the interviews might air this Friday, January 28, 2011 at 7 pm on Rogers Cable 10. Watch and find out.