Q&A with Lorene Bourgeois and Ingrid Mida at loop Gallery

Constructions of Femininity by Ingrid Mida, Photo by Patricia Novju

This is the final weekend of the exhibitions of Lorene Bourgeois and Ingrid Mida at loop Gallery. In Entourage, Lorene Bourgeois presents her exquisitely rendered images that explore the ambiguity of the face, the head, and the body, disclosed or obscured through clothing, framing and head-dress. In Constructions of Femininity, Ingrid Mida considers the relationship between dress and feminine identity in the armour-like equipment of the female hockey player.

Entourage by Lorene Bourgeois, Photo by Peter Legris

There is a synchronicity in the work of the two artists with the black tulle of Mida's headless mannequins playing off the featured heads within Bourgeois drawings and paintings. As well, there is a unspoken element of gothic darkness seen in both artists work, which unifies the gallery.

The gallery is open Saturday noon to 5 pm and Sunday 1 to 4 pm. There will be a Question and Answer Session with both artists moderated by Peter Legris from 2 to 3 pm. 

Lorène Bourgeois at loop

 Lorène Bourgeois in front of White Mantle at the Opening Reception
Photo by Patricia Njovu 2012

With Entourage, Lorène Bourgeois juxtaposes large-scale drawings on paper with smaller paintings in oil on slate.  Her images investigate the ambiguity of the face, the head, and the body, disclosed or obscured through clothing, framing and head-dress.

Installation Shot of Entourage at loop Gallery
Photo by Peter Legris 2012

Here, head-dress is examined not only for its social or utilitarian functions, but also as a framing device and a theatrical artifact.  Thus, a woman’s bonnet, the veil of a nun, or a bow tied upon a girl’s head are reconsidered in these works as objects of strange beauty.

With the paintings on slate, the face is rarely seen in its entirety.  Instead, fragments of slate, with their imperfections, uneven shapes, grooves, veins, and gashes, become supports for more intimate views of cheek, eyes, ear or nose.  Strangely, the stone recalls the flesh, and this apparently cold material seems to come to life, much like a skin.

Entourage also plays with the idea of presence, allowing potential alliances to form between the faces fixed illusionistically upon the walls and those of viewers - each gazing at one another.

Lorène Bourgeois at loop
Photo by Peter Legris 2012

Lorène Bourgeois lives and works in Toronto.  Her work in drawing, painting, and printmaking has been exhibited across Canada, as well as in France, Korea, Russia, and the United Sates.  She is represented in private and public collections, including Canada Council Art Bank, Banff Centre for the Arts, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ernst & Young, MOCCA, National Bank of Canada, Richmond Hill Public Library, and University of Toronto (Hart House and Donovan Collection).

Lorène Bourgeois gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council.

loop is open this weekend: Saturday noon to 5 pm and Sunday 1-4 pm. The artist will be in attendance at the gallery on Sunday, June 3 and Sunday, June 10.

Lorène Bourgeois and Ingrid Mida at loop Gallery

loop Gallery is pleased to announce exhibitions by loop members Lorène Bourgeois entitled Entourage, and Ingrid Mida entitled Constructions of Femininity.

Lorène Bourgeois, White Mantle, conté drawing on paper, 57” x 45 ¼”, 2012

With Entourage, Lorène Bourgeois juxtaposes large-scale drawings on paper with smaller paintings in oil on slate.  Her images investigate the ambiguity of the face, the head, and the body, disclosed or obscured through clothing, framing and head-dress. Here, head-dress is examined not only for its social or utilitarian functions, but also as a framing device and a theatrical artifact.  A woman’s bonnet, the veil of a nun, or a bow tied upon a girl’s head are reconsidered in these works as objects of strange beauty.

Lorène Bourgeois lives and works in Toronto.  Her work has been exhibited across Canada, as well as in France, Korea, Russia, and the U.S.  She is represented in numerous collections, including the Canada Council Art Bank, the Banff Centre for the Arts, The Department of Foreign Affairs, Ernst & Young, the MOCCA, the National Bank of Canada, and the Hart House and Donovan Collections at the University of Toronto.

Stephanie, mixed media, 2012

This latest installation by Ingrid Mida is an exploration of the artifice of feminine dress and identity.  This work juxtaposes the extreme silhouettes of the 18th century dress with the armour of the modern day hockey warrior in a whimsical celebration of the power of sport to redefine femininity. Inspired by young women hockey players who display feats of courage, strength and power, hockey equipment has been transformed with feminine signifiers of ribbon, sequins and beading, and then paired with historical silhouettes made from mesh.

Ingrid Mida is a Toronto-based artist, and author of the popular blog Fashion is my Muse! She was the keynote speaker at the Costume Society of America mid-west conference in the fall of 2011 on the topic of "When does Fashion Become Art?" and will speak at the Fashion Tales Conference in Milan in June 2012 on "The Metaphysics of Fashion Blogging."

Lorene Bourgeois Interview

Loop member Lorene Bourgeois was recently interviewed by Patrick Conners about her exhibition of work called Vestiare/Cloakroom at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre. The link to the interview is here.

Lorene's exhibition continues at Harbourfront until September 25, 2011.

Lorene Bourgeois at Harbourfront Centre

Blitz Child I by Lorene Bourgeois

Loop member Lorène Bourgeois exhibit of her work Vestiaire/Cloakroom opened  at the Harbourfront Centre, project room on the weekend and will run until September 25, 2011.

Vestiaire /Cloakroom presents a series of large-scale drawings and a video, based upon the subject of clothing and its relation to the human body and head.

"Recently, I have been exploring the territory of head and face protection, including gas masks and military helmets. I am interested not only in the social and utilitarian functions of these artifacts, but also in their qualities as physical objects - the way they frame or envelop the body, and the way they disclose or conceal the human form.

"Isolated from their original context, these objects seem to oscillate between functionality and theatricality, between absurdity and threat. It is this tension, the moment when the function of clothing slips into something less recognizable, that I wish to investigate."
Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5J 2G8
(416) 973 4000

loop at ArtToronto 2010

Visage elliptique #8 (yeux ourles) by Lorene Bourgeois
Oil on panel 7.5x14.75 inches
$880

           

This painting by Lorene Bourgeois is one of the artworks by loop Gallery artists that will be on display this weekend at the ArtToronto 2010 (formerly known as the Toronto International Art Fair). Come visit loop Gallery at Booth #1022.

Held in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre north building at 225 Front Street West, the event opens the night of Thursday, October 28th with a special collector's preview as a benefit for the Art Gallery of Ontario. The fair then opens to the public as follows:
Friday October 29 12 - 8pm
Saturday October 30 12 - 8pm
Sunday October 31 12 - 6pm
Monday November 1 12 - 6pm

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the ArtToronto 2010 website.

Video of Question and Answer Session with Lorene Bourgeois and William Huffman

If you missed the Q&A session at Loop Gallery with Lorene Bourgeois and William Huffman a few weeks back, you can now view it here.

Question and Answer Session with Lorene Bourgeois

Question & Answer Session:

Lorène Bourgeois

Saturday, July 10th, 3 PM at loop.

Facilitated by William Huffman, Associate Director, Toronto Arts Council

 

 

Lorène Bourgeois - Born in France, Lorène Bourgeois has been living in Canada since 1984. Trained in Paris, Philadelphia and Halifax (MFA, NSCAD, 1986), her work in drawing, painting, and printmaking, has been exhibited across Canada, France, Korea, Russia, and the United States. She is represented in numerous private and public collections. Lorène Bourgeois gratefully acknowledges the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.  

 

William Huffman - William Huffman is an arts administrator, curator, educator and writer with a history of extensive involvement on both local and international cultural fronts. Huffman is currently the Associate Director of the Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council Foundation. He has worked with a number of visual arts organizations in Ontario. Recently he was invited by the Art Dealers Association of Canada to curate a presentation of artists from across the country at the G8 and G20 summits in Huntsville and Toronto. 

 

Lorène Bourgeois' PRÈS DU CORPS & Chris Dow's LANDSCAPES exhibitions run until Sunday July 11th.

Lorene Bourgeois at Loop Gallery

Lorène Bourgeois is currently exhibiting her series of work entitled Près du corps at Loop Gallery in Toronto.

Près du corps, “close to the body”, is a series of large-scale drawings in Conté and charcoal exploring the relationship of cloth and clothing to the body and head.

The artist is interested in the physical qualities of clothing - the manner by which garments may frame or envelop the body – the similarity of folds, buttons, and stitched openings to skin, creases, and scars.

Près du corps is a reflection upon the ambiguous qualities of clothing and head wear, and upon the strange ability of such objects to oscillate between function, absurdity, and menace.

Born in France, Lorène Bourgeois has been living in Canada since 1984.  Trained in Paris, Philadelphia and Halifax (MFA, NSCAD, 1986), her work in drawing, painting, and printmaking, has been exhibited across Canada, as well as in France, Korea, Russia, and the United States.  She is represented in private and public collections, including Canada Council Art Bank, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ernst & Young, MOCCA, National Bank of Canada, Richmond Hill Public Library, and University of Toronto (Donovan Collection).

Lorène Bourgeois gratefully acknowledges the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

Gallery hours this weekend are as follows: Thursday through Saturday 1-5 pm and Sunday 1-4 pm

Loop Gallery Presents Lorene Bourgeois and Chris Dow

Loop Gallery is pleased to announce exhibitions by loop members Lorène Bourgeois entitled Près du corps and Chris Dow entitled Landscapes. Both exhibtions open this weekend on Saturday, June 19, 2010.

Lorène Bourgeois’ will be showing Près du corps, which translates to “close to the body”. This series of large-scale drawings in Conté and charcoal explores the relationship of cloth and clothing to the body and head.

The artist is interested in the physical qualities of clothing - the manner by which garments may frame or envelop the body – the similarity of folds, buttons, and stitched openings to skin, creases, and scars.  Près du corps is a reflection upon the ambiguous qualities of clothing and head wear, and upon the strange ability of such objects to oscillate between function, absurdity, and menace.

Born in France, Lorène Bourgeois has been living in Canada since 1984.  Trained in Paris, Philadelphia and Halifax (MFA, NSCAD, 1986), her work in drawing, painting, and printmaking, has been exhibited across Canada, France, Korea, Russia, and the United States.  She is represented in numerous private and public collections.  Lorène Bourgeois gratefully acknowledges the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

Lorène will speak about her work during a Question & Answer Session at the gallery on Saturday, July 10, 3pm.

Concurrently at Loop Gallery, Chris Dow will exhibit his work called "Landscapes". He explains, “For myself, painting is, in essence, an ethereal endeavour. Painting requires exploring feelings or perception that come from some place not understood and a place where words do not exist.  The act of painting is experienced and the subject matter is a convenient starting point. I like painting outdoors and the way this requires intuitive response. Working in the studio forces me to take a contemplative approach, this is often more of a problem solving process where the problem itself is not an intellectual one.”

Chris Dow has spent several of the past six years living abroad in both Japan and Australia, writing software and painting in his spare time.  Dow has exhibited in galleries across Canada as well as in Italy through the Ontario College of Art & Design.

Please join both artists in celebrating at the opening reception on Saturday, June 19th from 2-5 pm.
                                                      

Lorene Bourgeois Show at Glendon Gallery Extended!

 

Glendon Gallery Installation by Lorene Bourgeois 2009

 

Glendon Gallery Installation by Lorene Bourgeois 2009

If you haven't made it out to see Loop gallery member Lorene Bourgeois exquisite drawings at the Glendon Gallery on the Glendon College campus of York University, you now have one extra day! In this show called enveloppes du corps, Lorene explores cloth as a second skin in hauntingly beautiful drawings. Read Yael Brotman's review here. 

Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday, 12-3 pm. The show has been extended for an extra day for a closing celebration in which the artist will be in attendance on Saturday, December 12th from 11 am to 5 pm.

Glendon Gallery, Glendon College campus, York University

2275 Bayview Avenue (Lawrence and Bayview)

416-487-6721

TTC accessible from the Lawrence Station subway, take Bus #124 Sunnybrook, Stop at Glendon College.