March 2013 Show Second Flyer

The Elaine Fleck Gallery Presents New Work by Tania Guzmán and Laura Heaney

The Elaine Fleck Gallery is excited to introduce two new young artists to our repertoire, Tania Guzmán and Laura Heaney. These two artists came to us through by submitting to our bi-annual catalogue and were very well received. The abstract art of Tania Guzmán and the modern classical illustrations of Laura Heaney are both wonderful examples of what the Toronto Art Scene has to offer.

Tania Guzmán

It begins with the interplay of raw emotion and the free flow of colour. As she mixes the colours, she cultivates an open-hearted, open-minded state so that lines, forms, images and narrative can emerge naturally.

She builds the paintings in fine, almost transparent layers so that the image evolves but the initial interplay remains. Some elements or features become veiled while others emerge.

This process results in layers of emotion, memory, and sensory experience, with a range of energy, from elegant sensuality to aggressive tension.

Laura Heaney

Social Media is an ever-present topic of conflicted discussion. Since the introduction of the World Wide Web, societal norms have been changing at an ever-increasing rate. People are suddenly connected on a global scale and information happens in “instant” time. 

With the world in such a state of flux, people are scrambling to define what is happening. Is a “Social Renaissance” of expansion, exploration and deeper connectivity currently evolving for humanity through software phenomenon such as Facebook, Google and Twitter, or is this the beginnings of an anti-social future, one characterized by the loneliness of the isolated person in the connected crowd?

Laura Heaney brings focus to these speculations by fusing traditional techniques like chiaroscuro (a dramatic light source commonly found in Renaissance portraiture), with the modern day subject matter of social media devices – smart phones, computers, tablets, etc. Using these digital gadgets as the solitary light source for her “plugged in” subjects, Heaney is able to establish the potential for a “Social Renaissance,” while simultaneously creating a void-like and possibly isolating environment. 

March 2013 Show

February 2013 Panorama

The Panorama of our Current Show Click and Drag the Panorama to view.

February 2013 Invite

Art Exhibition: Still Photography and Video Installation

Abstract expressionism has a rich history that spans over a century. From its beginnings in Kandinsky and Kupka, to its evolution in Mondrian, Pollock, and Rothko, the movement has stirred the art world’s imagination and ignited debate about the power and meaning of art. The magic of non-figurative art is rooted in its ability to bypass our circuitry of preconceived mental representations and penetrate into something primordial. The pure colours and forms of a compelling abstract can invoke a deep emotional state, not unlike a piece of instrumental music.  

  

Featured Artist: Harrison Taylor

"I seek and make subjects that emulate patterns which can be taken out of their context of size and time. This creates a shift in scale that allows for a reinterpretation of preconceived visuals and ideas. As a result, my work suggests a constant struggle between nature and order; a play between what we know and what we are allowed to make up."

Featured Photographer: Roman Elinson

With abstract expressionist photography, the work becomes a collaboration between the artist and the forces of nature. In this series building facades are warped and transmogrified by the swells of lake Ontario, Parisian street lights are transformed into a ghostly fire in the ripples of the Seine, Turkish kiosks dissolve into diaphanous strands and splashes of colour in the waters of the Bosporus, and Christmas tree lights are detonated into an electrical tempest by the zoom and shake of the camera’s lens. I hope that in viewing these images you can share in my surprise and delight at the sublime creations of chaos at play.