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Operated by the Calgary Contemporary Arts Society Beneath
the Surface |
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A LOOK BENEATH THE SURFACE "Reality
- what a concept!" The great philosopher and theologian Aurelius Augustine calls the representations of art, the libri idiotarum (the books of the simple), and there is no doubt that the first objective of art was to teach. But later in its history, this type of art has been influenced by legends and doctrines in the choice of subjects, and they - in turn - have been variously rendered, in accordance with the character, the aesthetic cultivation, and the refinement of the artist. From the beginning of civilization to the present time, there have been certain characteristic figures, attributes, symbols, signs and metaphors that have formed a part of the language of what may be called Art. These particular elements of the language of Art may be meaningless, or worse, perhaps a deformity to the eye of one who does not understand them, but they add much to the power of a representation, to the depth of sentiment and expression when rightly apprehended. They function as replacement for reality.
The exhibition demonstrates a series of provocative investigations by these artists, in which the materials, methods, and meaning appear remarkably varied yet united by a presence of a symbol and metaphor. A look beneath the surface of their creative process reveals the empirical nature of their art and invites viewer to analyze the works on their own intrinsic merit. To some extent, one must try to see them in the context in which they were created. Observation and reflection on the world around them gave birth to their revelations which - in turn - were transformed by their imagination, senses and cultural memory and reformulated into a new physical presence - the final artwork. The strong references to nature combined with the elements of autobiographical provenance are the subject of the most recent works by Anne Pope. The visual vocabulary of some of her works is enriched by a wide gamut of symbols and mythical themes: the universal cycle of birth and death, primordial shapes, and chthonic imagery that indicates a strong attempt to move beyond purely formalistic considerations.
Honsun Chu's contemplation on the underlying philosophical conflicts between Eastern and Western cultures has offered him an unlimited source of inspiration. Chu is a strong advocate for Eastern spirituality and constantly searches the forms which have a resonance in the human psyche. Nearly all Chu's work deal with the same topic: a peaceful and harmonious coexistence between humankind and nature. As for his formal concern, Chu continually carries a critical verification of the forms he creates, he seeks alternative solutions, he adds or takes away certain elements, and changes the relation between form, material, and texture in order to arrive at new semantic connections, other metaphors and symbols. The heaviness of material is tamed by the artist's hand and the viewer gets the strange and contradictory feeling of motionless heaviness in harmonious motion: the metaphoric interplay of form and spirituality. The specific character of the works by Chu, Klimek, Pope and To provides a shared hidden essence of things that artists are ready to reveal to the viewers, thus inviting them into a discussion on the vital problems of humanity. In their works, the artists do not propound their reasons like doctrines, but rather as points for discussion, quite often adding an ironic comment. Their art does not attempt to find an easy answer to the fundamental question about the purpose of life and harmonious coexistence between humankind and nature. However, it does invite the viewers to take the extra mile and look at the works in order to find the essence of it. This is an invitation to look beneath the surface. Reinhard
Skoracki, Information on images:
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These
metaphors, symbols and signs are used very proficiently by four
of Alberta's most interesting sculptors to express a general fact
or sentiment. Honsun Chu, Lylian Klimek, Anne Pope and Angie To
use their visual messages as a powerful form of communication, because
they stimulate both intellectual and emotional responses - they
make us think as well as feel. Consequently, the images are used
by the artists to persuade and perpetuate ideas that words alone
cannot. During most of the human history people found their texts
in song and dance, paintings and stone more than in writing. 
Lylian
Klimek makes a poetic statement on nature and the imposition upon
it by humankind. By posing the questions what if ?, what happened
? - Klimek reveals - through her colourless "floral" installations
- a brutal truth about genetic meddling in the natural world, exploitation
of the environment, and the current state of world's ecological
system. 
Immediate
surroundings and commonplace objects provide the impetus for the
recent works by Angie To. Her series titled, Risibles is a meditation
upon physical purity, beauty and irregularity. Her work invites
a viewer to a query into what constitutes the abnormal, grotesque
and the strange. To's metaphoric vocabulary highlights the affirmation
of life in its natural, down to its basic form, and provides the
viewer with an opposite visual pole to the works by Lylian Klimek,
that symbolize the human intrusion and manipulation of nature.