Exhibition Info
OUT THERE: ART BEYOND REALITY
Out There is an exhibition of twenty works from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts collection which are bound together by the fact that each one contains a juxtaposition that makes it peculiar.
The works of fourteen artists are represented in the exhibition and each piece is a product of its creator’s personal inspirations, beliefs and definitions of aesthetic but the selections are all examples of one of the most important art movements of the twentieth century, Surrealism. The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines Surrealism as “the principles, ideals or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations.” Sarane Alexandrian, the late pre-eminent art critic and author, asserts in his book, Surrealist Art, (London, 1970) that artists of the genre “set out to liberate the workings of the subconscious, disrupting conscious thought processes by the use of irrationality and enigma.”
“In this way,” he continues, “the Surrealists created a new form of sensibility, finding expression in the greatest possible variety of creative processes.” Each work of art in Out There combines elements of the ordinary to present the viewer with a unique and unfamiliar visual composition to experience and contemplate. The pieces are executed in a variety of mediums by artists following an array of individual creative processes.
The works include intaglio etchings, coloured pencil and chalk drawings, oil painting, silver gelatin prints, ink drawings and photoengravings. Out There features the works of Edward Bader, Michael Campbell, Sean Caulfield, Tomoyo Ihaya, Germain Kalmykoff, Lawrence Kristmanson, William Laing, jane Molnar, mark Mullin, Garth Rankin, Marc Siegner, Jon Swindler, Akiko Taniguchi and Jim Westergard.
Out There was curated by Xanthe Isbister, Manager/Curator, Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre, Region 4 of the Travelling Exhibition Program (TREX).
