Tyler Los-Jones : In Passing series

Tyler Los-Jones is a Calgary, Alberta-based artist whose current body of work aims to disrupt the idea of “the end” as a logical narrative conclusion. Extinction, utopias and black holes are all symbols that represent end points in his work. He attempts to destabilize this linear notion through accessing the concept of ecosystems. Viewing ecosystems as the simultaneous existence of beginnings, middles and ends Tyler hopes to encourage a dialogue around the common responses of remorse, ambivalence and guilt when faced with this popular trope.

Tyler is currently working on a series titled In Passing, which aims to shed light on the way that local extinctions are perceived in Canada. The work is organized into two parallel series of gouache drawings, with the intention of creating two drawings for each province or territory. Each drawing features the name of a local species that is obscured within a field of marks. The common name of one extinct or one endangered species are depicted in each drawing. Only species that have become extinct or endangered since 1985 appear in the work. By using the year of his birth as the limit to his research Tyler questions how or if we implicate ourselves in the changing dynamics of our local environments.
Alongside his artistic practice he’s engaged in various collaborative projects in Calgary. In 2007 Tyler co-founded the 809 exhibition space which operated in a residential garage for 809 days. He is currently active with the Local Library, a multidisciplinary, all-ages venue that opened in March 2010.
tylerlos-jones.blogspot.com