Introducing MJG
GALLERY
NEW CABBAGETOWN
ART GALLERY HOSTS FIRST EXHIBITION:
Heroes:
Real, Fictional, and Close To Home
Opens December
8th through January 1st
The city's newest neighbourhood
art gallery, MJG Gallery officially secures its place among the city's hippest
art studios on December 8th, with the launch of its first exhibition: Heroes: Real, Fictional &
Close to Home. Opened only three months ago by artist Mark Gleberzon, the gallery
is more than a new addition to Cabbagetown, it has the rare distinction of
being owned and operated by a working artist.
The
Heroes exhibition showcases the work of
16 artists, including Gleberzon himself -- with portrayals ranging from the
tame to the surreal. From leather
to weather, mythology to mothers, and Superman to Spiderman; artists such as
Laura Culic, A1 Runt Currie, Stev'nn Hall, Bev Jenkins, Carol Westcott, G.
Elliott Simpson, Marjolyn Van Der Hart and Carol Westcott are among those
providing their interpretation. The exhibit
will appeal to art lovers, new collectors and interior designers working within
a limited budget.
Flight
by Marjolyn Van Der Hart's portrays the cyclist as hero, withstanding the bullying vehicles and celebrating the
connection to the urban environment. Her End of the Day symbolizes the energy and time
it takes to nurture family connections. Van Der Hart's artwork has been seen on CTV's Marilyn Dennis
Show, the Bruce Willis movie RED; and HGTV's "Income Property" and
"Pure Design".
The environment plays
hero in several of the exhibition's works. Laura Culic's encaustic Watershed is a tribute to
Lake Ontario and the heroic efforts of the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
organization. Her painting depicts a map-like representation of the lake, with abstracted
areas of colour and texture. In Family Farm by Carol Westcott, she pays
homage to the farm where she grew up, a place that has provided food, shelter and a livelihood for nearly a century.
Artist Bev Jenkins reflects on past and current heroes, as seen in her
neo-impressionist painting “Lest we forget”. In 2007, her "Bluebell Forest" was selected for the Royal Academy of Arts Summer
Exhibition in London, England.
Stev'nn Hall's portrait, Lee as Perseus attempts to
capture the vitality found within heroism, beginning with self doubt and fear,
and morphing into courage and action.
Hall has enjoyed
one-person shows in a number of art galleries. His portrait of Blue Rodeo’s Jim
Cuddy won Bravo's "Star Portraits.
Not for the faint
of heart, G. Elliott Simpson
puts forth a dark, sexual, and Transformer/video game view of the hero
archetype in his two studies: Fahrenheit
and Jimmie V6 & The Ibis. His photographs
have appeared in "Fab" and "The Advocate", and were
selected for the "10x10: 100 Portraits Exhibition" at The White House
Studio Project (June 2011).
The bold and the beautiful collide
throughout the exhibition. Monument, an abstract by Lex Buchanan, defiantly explore heroism within the realms of art, sculpture and
architecture. Buchanan's images investigate
dystopian visions of the city, where concrete
reality collides with the heroism of creative
worlds. In contrast, Andrea
Rinaldo presents: Totems inspired by the
beautiful (Japanese) Chiyogami papers she incorporates into her work. For this show,
these three 'totems' stand testament to the story of little Sadako
Sisaki who survived the bombing of Hiroshima but succumbed years later to
Leukemia.
MJG Gallery owner Mark Gleberzon anchors
the heroes theme with powerful pop culture renditions of Superman and Batman,
then softens his approach with understated canvases of his nephew Jared who
successfully fought and survived brain cancer. Comic-icons continue with Spiderman in action provided by Animation Connection, the only Toronto-based agent of authentic, studio
animation art and limited edition signed comic cells. Evin Collis' caricature-like watercolour NWMP celebrates
the heroism of Sam Steele one
of the North West Mounted Police's most valiant and celebrated officers. His second work, entitled Modern
Robin Hood is a contemporary urban re-contextualization
of the popular folk hero.
MJG Gallery's
Heroes Exhibition also includes works by: Blair Chivers, Bryan Levy-Young,
Sandy Middleton, A1 Runt and James
Stacey. Mediums range from oil on wood and oil on canvas; to acrylic and
encaustic and mixed media.
"Heroes: Real, Fictional & Close to Home" opens at MJG Gallery, 555 Parliament Street, Toronto
on Thursday, December 8th, and continues until January 1st. Hours are: Wednesday - Sunday 11am -
6pm. Monday and Tuesday: By appointment only. For more information call 416-923-4031 / markaloo@yahoo.com
/ Facebook: MJG Gallery
-30-
Issued by/Media contacts:
Stephen Weir 416-489-5868
cell: 416-801-3101
stephen@stephenweir.com
Linda Crane 905-257-6033 cell: 416-727-0112 cranepr@cogeco.ca
Editors Note: images, gallery & artist interviews and personal tours available to media via Stephen or
Linda
