Nestled away on the studio/gallery-stacked Walnut Avenue is home to the comfortable and well-designed gallery space of interior designer Alison Milne. Recently the Alison Milne Gallery pulled together three Toronto based artists, Ross Bonfanti, Alex Jowett and Erin Vincent,to feature a pre-holiday exhibition exploring material and process. The result: “Heavy Weightlessness.”
From the whimsy of Ross Bonfati’s “Concreature Series” to Alex Jowett’s first showing of his meditative “Horizon Line Series,” the beautifully curated exhibition showcases a chance for viewers to learn and be visually stimulated around interesting processes in contrast with one another and the uses in which found materials and mix mediums can create aesthetic pieces that make you smile, take you away from yourself and that you could envision as your own space. Erin Vincent and Ross Bonfati’s pieces playfully feed off each other as they mix and explore organic to industrial type materials, while Alex Jowett’s works balance out the space with his stunningly simplistic yet timely line drawings.
I reacted to all three artists in different ways, but together they seamlessly worked brilliantly in the space.
Erin Vincent’s flighty origami nautical chart planes trail delicately across the gallery walls, catching shadows to give her work another layer to ponder on, leading me to Ross Bonfetti’s concrete-stuffed concreatures that are monstrously cute. He encourages you are to interact with the creatures and pick them up. They feel strangely good in your hands – try it. It will make you awkwardly laugh.
Then, resting quietly on the walls, hang Alex Jowett ocean inspired horizon line pieces. The meticulous black and complimenting colour lines mesmerize you, transcending you in to a sense of calm; you don’t want to look away, which is always a good thing,
“The show will hopefully help transport people away from the every day, even if just for a little while,” says Alex Jowett, which I have to agree with completely.
So, while you are off over the holidays and you need some down time, take a stroll over to Queen Street West, grab a coffee at Dark Horse and stop by Alison Milne Gallery to check out the show. You won’t be disappointed. But don’t wait too long; the show ends Thursday January 10th, 2013. Gallery hours are Wednesday – Saturday, 12pm to 6pm and Monday – Tuesday ,by appointment or chance.
Coming up, so mark your calendars:
The Artist Project. February 21-24, 2013. Tickets are available for purchase.
Enjoy, Happy Holidays and HEART ART!