Chiarina Loggia ‘December’.I stopped in at the Collective Gallery in Fernwood where Chiarina Loggia has a show. Chiarina was there and happy to explain her methods and motivations. She talked about reaching out to others, sharing feelings and experiences, creating images that others can relate to.
“The artist in me never sleeps. She peers through my eyes at the shifting forms and flowing colors of my world. She listens to my heart and hears the echoes of my desires. She swims inside my stomach and churns up waves of emotion. She wanders around my mind unlocking treasure chests of ideas. She takes me in hand and weaves her magic with brush and brayer. She is my muse and inspiration.”
Clearly art is a major part of her life. The work on display consists of intaglio prints, based on photographs. After the etching and printing process they take on their own characteristics and become removed from the photographic. The smaller prints appear personal; they seem to represent friends, family, intimate moments that most people would find familiar. In the larger pieces, titled ‘Body of Work’ 1 & 2 (the double-entendre is intentional), she has combined all these elements, incorporating images from previous shows, first by collage, then by distorting the images on a computer, modern communications being another of her interests. The effect is of a walk through a gallery, lingering afterimages, memories. These works refer to the importance Loggia attaches to the body and body language. I sensed a muted eroticism in several of the pieces. A kind of wistful physical yearning. To me Loggia’s works speak of the passage of time. They appear as fleeting episodes, reminders of the transience of life, as if the only real permanence exists in art objects [1].
I liked the work. The photopolymer gravure technique is ideally suited to the subject matter. I made a few notes but I wasn’t entirely happy with what I’d written. The editors at exhibit-v can be tough. Two paragraphs probably wouldn’t satisfy them. For this to be a proper article I needed more.
Louise Harding ‘The Way Forward’Then in Chinatown I got lucky. Call it serendipity, or synchronicity, one of those mysterious words, I don’t know how or why, but everything just seemed to fall into place. I looked into Dale’s Gallery hoping to find something to write about and who should be there but Rachel Berman. She’d dropped off a couple of small paintings of the kind which are becoming all too rare in Victoria these days, most of her work goes to the Ingram Gallery in Toronto. She was looking at some charcoal drawings by Louise Harding. Striking work we both agreed, skillfully drawn. Harding uses professional models, perhaps they aren’t beautiful in the classical sense but she treats them respectfully and endows them with a kind of down-to-earth beauty. She ‘exaggerates the part of the pose she finds most interesting’ and she isn’t afraid to leave tentative working marks among the firmer more confident lines. Studied tones, thoughtful placement of the figures and fearless cropping make for a virtuoso performance.
While I was making notes Rachel was telling Alison about a show she’d just seen over on Herald Street at G.J. Pearson’s studio. I vaguely remembered G.J. Pearson from Fran Willis’ gallery so over I went to Herald Street. There I found him in his studio/ living space surrounded by his creations. I got an impression of orderly clutter, like being in an artist’s head. Quite a lot to absorb in one session [2]. In fact it would probably take several sessions but I was worried about the 2 hour parking limit on Discovery so I had to make do with the quick tour. G.J works in different ways….everything from da Vinci-like constructions to Daliesque drawings. Then there’s the vandalized giftware (disfigurines), part-human, part machine conglomerations, irreverently altered classical paintings and Gollumish clay figures in bunny suits. I need a bit of time to think about this I said. So do I he said.
G.J. is a man of many parts. He certainly doesn’t make things easy for art writers. Amanda Farrell had a crack at it in Monday Magazine [3]. Whimsical was the word she used. I can’t improve on that. Loggia, Berman, Harding, Pearson…it all fits together…I think.1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yshEkRpRQY
2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTU7gs39S9g
3] http://mondaymag.com/articles/entry/knaves-in-toyland/
Thank you, Philip, for the thoughtful and insightful article. It was a pleasure meeting you the other day.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Chiarina