CARLY WAITO: MICROGEOGRAPHICA
MAY 30 - JUNE 28, 2014
Opening Reception:
Friday, May 30, 2014
6-9pm
topaz fizz and rose quartz cocktails created especially for this event by Anna May Henry
Narwhal Projects is pleased to present Toronto-based artist Carly Waitos second solo exhibition, Microgeographica.
Through detail-rich oil paintings, graphite illustrations and a projected video work, Microgeographica showcases Waitos ongoing series exploring the unique beauty of precious mineral specimens. Framed and captured through the lenses of both microscope and camera, Waitos images cleverly play with ideas of scale and surface value. Clearly evident in the work is a sustained commitment to process and subject matter. Waitos images convey a sense of power and wonder that can only come from entertaining the impossible but undeniable connection between the very small and the very large. Perhaps most intriguing, is how skillfully much of the work manages to walk the line between direct representation and abstraction.
Waitos treatment of oil paints makes full use of their capacity to capture the high detail and depth of colour of the real world. Conveying an infinite subtlety found only in nature, her paintings also point toward a connection with the digitally mediated world. Whether floating freely in space or fragmented through the use of tight framing, Waitos crystals allow the viewer to experience both sheer appreciation and free association. The strength of her illustrations lies equally in their absorbing technique and the way that they use scale and framing to create an ambiguity of form. Complementing the two-dimensional works is a twenty-minute video projection documenting a series of real-time crystallization processes. Each event, recorded through Waitos microscope, is presented first forwards and then sped up in reverse. The effect is mesmerizing; showcasing in engrossing detail an entire universe of vibrating and blossoming crystals and effectively representing Waitos ongoing fascination with the balance between magic and truth.
From May 30 - June 28, 2014
ABOUT CARLY WAITO
Toronto-based artist Carly Waito was born in Manitouwadge in 1981 and raised in Thunder Bay. A graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, Waito co-founded the ceramic art and design studio coe&waito with Alissa Coe in 2005. The partnership is known for its elegant products and sculptural installations inspired by the natural world. As a painter, Waito has continued to pursue this inspiration, with a focus towards geology, geometry and ideas of wonder and curiosity.
Narwhal
2104 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON, Canada
647-346-5317
Hours of Operation
Sun Tues by appointment
Wed Sat 12-6pm
