Gordon Snelgrove Gallery
pamphlet
volume 1 | number 4
march 14 - 18, 2016
Gordon Snelgrove Gallery
Schedule Winter/Spring 2016
dates
artists
writers
February 22 – 26
Jannik Plaetner
Stephanie Turtle
Joshua Wade
Feb. 29 – March 4 Varvara Vinogradova
Patrick O’Reilly
Ashley Ridley
Garrison Berger
March 7 – 11
Leanne Munchinsky
Brianne Davis
Emily Kohlert
Candace Chickowski
March 14 – 18
Mardee Xamin
Kristina Parzen
Paul Panko
Michelle Gagné-Orr
March 21 – 25
Samra K. Sheikh
Cole Thompson
Pascal Dimnik
Qiming Sun
March 28 – Apr. 1
Floranne St. Amand McLaughlin
Brandon Panasiuk
Amy Prive
Stephanie Simonot
Gordon Snelgrove Gallery
pamphlet series
volume 1 | number 4
March 14 - 18, 2016
Director’s Message
Marcus Miller
Michelle Gagné - Duality
Mardee Xamin - Elements of Movement
Paul C. Panko by Kristina Parzen
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Director’s Message
It is my pleasure to introduce this series of interpretive essays
accompanying the graduating exhibitions of BFA candidates
this year. Our writers reflect on the work of 17 solo exhibitions,
presented over six weeks from February 22 – April 1, 2016. This
is a new initiative at the University of Saskatchewan that will no
doubt benefit all contributors as they enter professional life and
add discursive heft to their work.
I want to thank Brianne Jael Davis (B.A. Honours in Art History,
2016) in particular, who suggested the idea of a pamphlet series,
worked hard to solicit writers and is one of the writers herself.
Six pamphlets will be produced over six weeks and be made
available to the public during the exhibitions. At the end of this
cycle, photographic documentation and artist’s material will be
added to a compiled catalogue and made available for a nominal
cost.
Marcus Miller, Director
Gordon Snelgrove Gallery
1
Michelle Gagné: Duality
by Kristina Parzen
Life is full of concepts that have a dual nature. These
concepts and ideas are interconnected in such a way that
one cannot be understood in completion without referring to
the other. In Duality, Michelle Gagné explores the duality
of life by considering these kinds of opposing forces and
ideas.
In Gagné’s film photographs, presented in pairs of triptychs,
she juxtaposes themes and ideas such as good with evil
and light with dark. By doing so, the audience is encouraged
to think about the meaning behind each photograph with
reference to its counterpart. Gagné equally emphasizes the
importance of each group of photographs, the relationships
within each group, and the interrelationships that exist
between the groups. She establishes a complex web that
forces the audience to carefully think about the meanings
behind her work in order to come to a better understanding
of the world around them.
Within the pairs of triptychs, Gagné uses subject matter
that highlights the delicate balance between life and death
and connects back to the natural environment. Her strong
sense of colour sets the mood within her photographs and
in the gallery space. This particular use of colour created
through cross-processing techniques helps the audience
immerse themselves in the artwork and become emotionally
connected to it. By drawing from her own life experiences
and interests, she creates a body of work that comes to
represent both an expression of self and an opportunity for
her audience to learn more about the complexities of life.
2
Mardee Xamin: Elements of Movement
by Kristina Parzen
Visual art meets performance art in Mardee Xamin’s
exhibition, Elements of Movement. The elements and
principles of design and dance are brilliantly combined,
establishing fluid relationships that continuously relate back
to the expression of movement through print media. The use
of the elements of design are established in a thoughtfully
considered way that harmonizes each work and creates a
sense of unity throughout all of the prints presented. This
unity connects the audience directly to the subject matter
allowing each viewer to understand the rhythm and energy
of the work, which is pulled into the space of the gallery.
Just as the body moves while dancing, Xamin’s monoprint
and digital print collages express movement in art as the eye
travels dynamically in and between the works. This overlap
between art and dance is exposed not only in the physical
presence of the body of work, but also through its facilitation
of emotion and the mental senses. The work speaks to the
audience through a series of expressive elements that when
combined transform visual art into a personal narrative for
each viewer.
By drawing from personal experiences and interests, Xamin
creates a body of work that shows her enthusiasm for the
visual and performance arts. She in turn gives the audience
the opportunity to learn more about art as movement and
expression by creating something the audience can connect
to emotionally. Her work and art practice is a prime example
of uncovering the interconnected relationships that separate
two art practices by transcending the boundaries that exist
between them.
3
Paul C. Panko:
by Kristina Parzen
means to cover, to conceal, or to shroud. In the exhibition
, Paul Panko applies the Hebrew concept of
to
individual identity expressed through the personal art practice
of tattooing. His photographs look beyond the aesthetic appeal
of tattoos and illustrate how tattoos become an extension of an
individual’s sense of self and an expression of his or her identity.
Through the use of hands as his subject matter, Panko makes
connections to the essence of the individual and illustrates how
differences between individuals go beyond just the external.
Something that is personal, private, and exclusive to an individual
is often protected because it exposes a part of that person’s self
and identity to the outside world. The photographs presented
show the act of concealment by way of an individual’s hands. In
this way Panko establishes a sense of wonder and contemplation
about the subjects of his work, but also invites the viewer to
contemplate their own personal sense of self and identity.
Panko deepens the meanings behind his work through the
use of dramatic lighting within the works themselves and the
surrounding gallery space. A video is projected onto the floor of
the gallery inviting the viewer to walk through it, thereby becoming
an active participant in the exhibition. By thoroughly designing his
environment, Panko creates a space where his audience becomes
directly affected by the artwork, which in turn generates a mood
distinct to each individual audience member. He personalizes the
experience of the exhibition making the viewer more sensitive to
the work, the space, and the ideas being explored.
Panko illustrates to the audience that there are many complex
layers that make up an individual and when these layers come
together, they embody everything that makes a person unique. His
exhibition,
, provides an opportunity for any individual to
explore his or her own identity and be more aware of the identities
of others.
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Gordon Snelgrove Gallery
Department of Art & Art History
University of Saskatchewan
191 Murray Building
3 Campus Drive
Saskatoon SK S7N 5A4
306-966-4208
www.usask.ca/snelgrove
snelgrovegallery@gmail.com
twitter: @gordonsnelgrove
instagram: @snelgrovegallery