Want to discover “the newest crop of hot young artists”? It’s easy. Visit Merge, opening Thursday March 7 at our Art Rental + Sales Gallery.
See? You’re promised that discovery, right there on the invitation.
“This exhibition is a yearly event,” explains Elizabeth Petrova, the AR+SG Coordinator. “The title describes our focus. These are emerging artists, people who are beginning to merge into the larger art world and gain more recognition.”
Six will be featured in this year’s show: ANSER, Nick Bierk, Alex D’Arcy, Hanna Hur, Rachel MacFarlane and Lauren Pelc-McArthur. The selection is grounded in the deep familiarity of AR+SG staff and volunteers with the contemporary scene, plus input from Wil Kucey, director of Le Gallery, which specializes in emerging talent.
The artists are all fresh, innovative, and have a few other things in common as well, says Elizabeth. “Each has graduated from an arts program within the last 4-5 years, each has a cohesive body of work that has already been exhibited somewhere, and each is already gaining traction in the art scene.”
The show came together quite organically, she adds, structured to feature artist pairs whose bodies of work are in conversation with each other.
For example, ANSER and Nick Bierk. “Each,” she notes, “offers a fresh take on portraiture.”
Nick starts with a realistic portrait and then, in succeeding iterations, moves it further and further into abstraction. For example, “Heather No. 2” (which began as a video still).
ANSER, on the other hand, approaches portraiture from a graffiti artist sensibility. Here’s one of his.
“Come to our opening,” urges Elizabeth. “Then roll right on to the AGO for First Thursday. That’s what I’m going to do!”
- Opening Reception: 6-8 p.m., March 7; artists in attendance, and a talk on collecting emerging art by Wil Kucey
- Exhibition: March 7 – April 13, 2013
- Location: 481 University Ave. (N/E corner, Dundas St. West)