Christy Chor, Aleena, Derohanian, Reid Ferguson, Daniel Gruetter, Jennifer Lantz, Lindsay MacDonald, Bettina Matzkuhn, Charlize-Nhung Nguyen, Emma Piirtoniemi, Meghan Price, Amanda Rataj
October 22 - November 14, 2020
Reception: Saturday, April 27 from 2-4pm
Craft Ontario Gallery, 1106 Queen Street West, Toronto
Responding to the current era of rapid and accelerating change to the landscape, ‘Mass Wasting’ explores the impact(s) of environmental destabilization through the lens of craft practice.
Through both direct and indirect human intervention, the form of the Earth is changing. Extractive mining practices and deforestation have immediate and obvious effects, while warming temperatures are causing unprecedented thawing of permafrost. The term ‘mass wasting’ refers to the geomorphic process by which rocks and soil move downhill (eg. rock slides, soil creep and thaw slumps). ‘Mass wasting’ is both cause and effect: the means by which we have arrived on this increasingly unstable ground.
This exhibition aims to address the psychic, social, cultural, and political impact of environmental unpredictability as identified by artists working in diverse craft media. It also considers the ways in which instability can open up fissures of possibility — opportunities for change and innovation.
‘Mass Wasting’ features the work of Craft Ontario members selected through an open call for submissions.
– Robyn Wilcox, Curator
Christy Chor holds a BA in Ceramics from Sheridan College where she graduated with high honours and was awarded a silver medal. She received the William and Mary Corcoran Craft Award from the Ontario Arts Foundation and the Helen Copeland Memorial Award in Ceramics from Craft Ontario. Previously, she studied at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (majoring in Graphic Communications) and has a wealth of professional experience in architectural graphics, marketing, brand communication, and project management on art installation projects. She is a nature lover and storyteller. Her belief is all about “back to nature.”
Aleena Derohanian’s work is a combination of traditional silversmithing techniques and avant-garde approaches to material explorations framed in a contemporary art jewellery practice. She examines different methods of using the materiality of her work to evoke an emotional engagement from her audience. The tactility and physical properties of anything she creates with are at the forefront of her creative process and are a way to relate sensory experiences into body adornment. Through a process-based approach, ties are formed between human, emotion, and material that are then expressed through jewellery forms. Aleena is currently taking a gap year her bachelor’s degree in Material Art and Design from OCAD University and is working as an artist-in-residence at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design.
Reid Ferguson is a designer and craftsperson based in Toronto. A graduate of the Sheridan College Craft and Design program, he works primarily in glass. Reid has a penchant for things that are in a state of decay and seeks out symptoms of the constant struggle between natural and human forces. In culverts, train-yards, and abandoned buildings Reid is often fixated by visceral sensations. He distills and translates these elements into physical objects that serve as a more palatable illustration of his experiences.
Daniel Gruetter is a woodworker and furniture designer based in Toronto. He was born and raised in Bella Coola, a remote community nestled in British Columbia’s coast mountains. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BA in History in 2010. Daniel has worked with local and international artists, architects, and designers to provide finely made furniture and objects for a wide variety of contexts from private homes to commercial spaces and hospitality enterprises. He provides design services, as well as batch production and custom woodwork.University and is working as an artist-in-residence at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design.
Born in Toronto, Jennifer Lantz has lived in Finland and travelled extensively. After studying Fine Art at the University of Toronto, she completed a degree in the Study of Religion, and later Industrial Design at OCAD University. Having always drawn and painted, her interest in textiles developed in the last few years. As a prolific sewer, it was a natural marriage of expression for her. Her mother, Penny Lantz, was an accomplished weaver, and Jenn grew up around a loom. Inspired by her travels and fascinated by the tactile expression of weaving, she is able to express her passion for our world.
Lindsay MacDonald graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with an MFA in Designed Objects (2009), and from NSCAD University with a BFA in Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing (2004). She was an artist-in-residence at Harbourfront Centre metal studio from 2004-2007 and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. Lindsay has been a jewellery instructor at multiple institutions including NSCAD University and The Shanghai Commercial School (through Selkirk College). Currently she is a sessional instructor at OCAD University, with a concentration in Jewellery History and Concepts. She maintains an independent studio practice in Ottawa.
Bettina Matzkuhn learned to embroider as a child. She uses embroidery and fabric to explore personal and broader stories about history, geography and ecology. In the 1980s, her three animated films for the National Film Board of Canada — using textiles — garnered awards. She holds a BFA in Visual Arts and an MA in Liberal Studies from Simon Fraser University. She has participated in residencies in the Yukon, Saskatchewan, Banff Centre and Newfoundland’s Gros Morne National Park. Her work is exhibited across Canada and internationally, and she writes professionally on the arts, teaches and volunteers. She lives in Vancouver, BC.
Born in Vietnam, Charlize-Nhung Nguyen grew up in Hong Kong refugee camp and immigrated to Canada as a refugee. She is a contemporary artist, working and teaching as an artist-in-residence at Harbourfront Centre. She holds advanced diplomas in Architecture and Jewellery Arts prior to her BFA. She is the recipient of the 2018 Material Art and Design exhibition medal from OCAD University and recently won an Emerging Artist Award at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. Her work has been shown in the US, Canada, Romania, Spain, and Portugal.
Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Emma Piirtoniemi is a jewellery artist, writer, and curator. She completed her BFA Major in Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing and Minor in Art History at NSCAD University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is held in private collections in Canada and the United States. Emma is currently based in Toronto, where she is finishing a full-time art residency at Harbourfront Centre. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of MetalAid Canadian Art Jewellery Network.
Meghan Price works in an expansive range of media including textiles, print and video, stone, paper and waste plastic. With attention to the pace of process and the meaning in material, Meghan engages questions about time and human-Earth relationships. Meghan Price obtained an MFA from Concordia University in 2009 and has exhibited and held residencies across Canada and internationally. Her work is in the Idea Exchange contemporary textile collection and in the corporate collections of Aimia, Canada Goose and RBC. Meghan lives in Toronto where she is represented by United Contemporary Gallery.
Amanda Rataj is an artist and handweaver, living and working in Hamilton, Ontario. She studied at OCAD University and, since graduating in 2010, has developed her contemporary craft practice through independent research, artist residencies, professional exhibitions, and lectures. Recent exhibitions include ‘Crosscurrents: Canada In the Making’ at the Textile Museum of Canada (2018-2019), ‘Nothing is Newer Than Tradition’ (Art Gallery of Burlington, 2017), and ‘Living Well' (Craft Ontario, 2017).
