Eccentric art exhibition

Toronto-based artists showcase sculptures at Union Gallery

Angelopoulos and Piens often collaborate in the same studio.
Image by: Alex Pickering
Angelopoulos and Piens often collaborate in the same studio.

Abstract structural elements paired with a bizarre colour scheme make Three Snap Snare a thought-provoking exhibit.

Toronto-based artists Jaime Angelopoulos and Derek Piens collaborated on this collection of sculptures and paintings, currently being held at the Union Gallery. The exhibition, along withShelf Life by Jude Griebel, was chosen as the school year’s opening non-student artist show.

The collection, according to the Union Gallery website, “explores the physicality of bodily experience as well as immaterial experiences of sensation, emotions and behaviour through sculpture and drawing”.

Although the meaning behind the art isn’t apparent at first glance, it seems that each sculpture and painting was made carefully to complement the other and depict the senses of emotion that the artists aimed for. The bright colours of each piece, such as bright pink, light green and rich purple, were indicative of sensations of happiness and overall cheerfulness.

It was difficult to understand the exact implications of the sculptures and paintings, but the main purpose of abstract art is to let the viewer draw their own interpretation. This was easy enough to do with the sculptures — they were all original pieces with individual shapes, colours and size. None were similar.

Jocelyn Purdie, general director of the Union Gallery, explained the process of choosing the professional artwork to exhibit for this year’s show.

“These exhibitions were selected last year by a selection committee that’s made up of students involved with the board here, as well as professional artists from Queen’s and the community,” Purdie said. “We have a deadline for applications, and then a meeting to jury those applications.”

The gallery starts off the fall season with a professional artist show, Purdie added.

The application process to choose the exhibitions is extensive, with over 25 applicants for both the student and non-student galleries, the director added. The jury looks at the images and submission package, and the quality of each artists’ work is looked at during the selection process.

The gallery strives to present a variety of art forms which include paintings, sculptures and more.

The director said the sculptures are an accurate portrayal of the artists’ goal to create an emotionally-positive vibe.

“The sculptural show is very playful, and people have really been enjoying it because it’s very accessible and its fun,” she said. “These two artists work together in the same studio space so obviously their work plays off each other a little bit.

“The two shows that were put together for the gallery, Three Snap Snares and Shelf Life, play off each other and even though they’re very different kinds of work, they resonate with each other.”

The Three Snap Snare exhibition will run until Nov. 14 at the Union Gallery.

Tags

exhibition, Review

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content