Enacting Abstraction
February 14 to May 10, 2009
 James Welling Untitled (#F-1), 1986 ink on paper Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery Gift of Ann and Marshall Webb |
The language of abstraction has informed and influenced
artistic production for more than a century. The rejection of the figurative in
favour of abstract art in the early decades of the 20th century posed a
challenge to European artistic traditions that depended on representation of
the real world and created radically new possibilities for artistic expression.
Through their use of bold forms, textures and colours, artists created a new
formal language, one that used these new “tools” in their purest, most
fundamental states. The exploration of the expressive, spiritual and
conceptual potential of colour, line and shape was a central component of
Modernism and continues to occupy artists working today.
Enacting Abstraction considers the ideas and formal strategies of abstract art from the early decades of the 20th century to its contemporary revitalized iterations. From the highly emotive and painterly abstract works of Les Automatistes to the hard-edge forms of Minimalism to the language of Conceptualism, the exhibition examines how artists translate the central tenets of abstraction to serve their own formal and conceptual needs. Throughout the exhibition, works by younger contemporary artists will be contextualized with work from earlier generations, creating a dialogue between the pioneers of abstraction and artists who are extending and critiquing their methods and strategies. Drawn primarily from the Vancouver Art Gallery’s collection, Enacting Abstraction offers an opportunity to rethink abstraction. |