In the Loop: Yael Brotman and Gareth Bate

What have our talented members been up to lately?

Yael Brotman in Genius Loci at the Art Gallery of Mississauga
Yael Brotman, whose last show at loop featured beautifully constructed paper caravans, will have works exhibited in Genius Loci, an R. Stuart Keeler curated show at the Art Gallery of Mississauga. The exhibition brings together established and emerging Canadian artists, including Nuit Blanche stand out Jon Sasaki, to explore works from noted collections of Canadian Art – The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, The Tom Thomson Gallery and The Art Gallery of Mississauga Permanent Collection. Genius Loci opens Thursday, September 13 and runs until Thursday, November 4. 

Gareth Bate interviewed on Studio Beat
Gareth Bate talks about 401 Richmond and 'How to Get Fit as an Artist' while working on Jewel Net of Indra, a series of mirror drawings. Read the interview on Studio Beat.

Want to know what else we're doing in and outside of the gallery? Stay in the loop by joining us on Facebook for artist updates, behind the scene pictures and more. 

Interviews on the World of Threads

Toronto artist and loop member Gareth Bate is also the exhibition curator of the upcoming World of Threads Festival. This exhibition of contemporary fibre art will take place in November 2012 in Toronto and Oakville and include the work of local, national and international artists.


Loop members who have been featured in the weekly series of artist interviews include:

Yael Brotman
http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/artist_interviews/056_yael_brotman_12.html

Sandra Gregson
http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/artist_interviews/040_sandra_gregson_11.html

Libby Hague
http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/artist_interviews/044_libby_hague_11.html

Mary Catherine Newcomb
http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/artist_interviews/051_mary_catherine_newcomb_2012.html


Rochelle Rubinstein
http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/artist_interviews/030_rochelle_rubinstein_11.html

To learn more about The World of Threads Festival, visit  http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com

The Floating World by Gareth Bate

Gareth Bate

Gareth Bate's painting series called The Floating World is currently on display at loop Gallery and runs until Sunday, July 17, 2011.

Gareth's artist statement for this series is presented below. The photos show his paintings in progress at his studio at 401 Richmond Street West.


The Floating World paintings are a kind of Vanitas. Scenes of great beauty suddenly engulfed by devastation. Imagine standing in wonder at the view before you, just as a Tsunami washes it all away. 


My recent work explores our ultimate scale and purpose in the universe. The landscapes and cosmos scenes are a metaphor for the beauty we experience. In the work, the universe represents a sense of endless possibilities, and yet an existential terror of our final insignificance. 

In Studio Shot by Gareth Bate

The tsunami represents total sublime horror. It is complete and utter devastation, indiscriminate and inescapable. The aerial video footage of the Japanese Tsunami was the most horrifying thing I've ever seen. It spread through entire cities and farmlands, demolishing and consuming everything in its path. All you have, including your life, can be swept away in an instant. Natural disasters are for me, one of the things that make a belief in God impossible.

Work in Progress by Gareth Bate

The title Floating World is obviously a reference to Japan, but it also represents the Earth itself. We are fragile and barely staying afloat. For the first time in years a human presence has returned to my work. Although these paintings could be seen as bleak, it is impossible for an artwork to be nihilistic. Making art is inherently about creating meaning out of life.

Installation Shots for Gareth Bate and Sandra Gregson

Loop Gallery June 25, 2011

This was the scene at loop Gallery last weekend during the opening receptions for Gareth Bate and Sandra Gregson. The gallery is open on Canada Day and also this weekend. All photos are by Patricia Njovu.

Gareth Bate in conversation

Visitors examining Gareth Bate's work

Close up of Gareth Bate's work

Sandra Gregson and friends

Visitors examining Sandra Gregson's work