 | Local artist Karen Carriere is inviting viewers to reflect on society's impact on Earth through an installation titled Presence. The exhibition runs until April 29 at the Cornwall Regional Art Gallery. | |
Cornwall - Mar. 26, 2011 - Local artist Karen Carriere is inviting residents to reflect on society's impact on Earth through her new installation, Presence.
The new exhibition runs until April 29 at the Cornwall Regional Art Gallery on Pitt Street, and it officially opens Saturday with a reception starting at 2 p.m.
So just what is Presence?
"In these works of sculptural installation, I have for the most part used recycled or organic materials gathered from the woods and fields surrounding our small acreage near Newington," Carriere explains in a statement.
"These are juxtaposed with economic references, to suggest larger themes about the dangers of disconnecting from the natural world.
Although all life on Earth depends on complex cyclical processes, too many people today think of the Earth as a limitless source of raw materials, or otherwise only as scenery - if they think of the natural world at all.
Full attention, or 'presence,' can awaken us not only to the epic scale and urgency of the predicament, but also to experiencing feelings about it.
Emotions are the domain of art, and art can transform scientific evidence into a visual language that helps people understand the need for behavioural change. That is my hope for this body of work."
The medium of sculptural installation may not be familiar to some viewers. Rather than framed works on the wall, everyday and natural materials are composed into various tableaux. These have evocative qualities and convey a visual drama, like theatre. Some can be moved through or interacted with; others will alter during the exhibit.
Carriere is a graduate in Art History from Queen's University, who studied Fine Arts at York University and also graduated from the Ontario College of Art (now OCADU). She has shown in Ottawa, Toronto, at Queen's and has taught printmaking and drawing at St Lawrence College. Local artist Dora Campbell, her mother, was also an instructor at SLC.
For many years, Carriere also operated the plant nursery Centre Commons Perennials on the family’s small acreage near Newington, where many of the ornamentals have now been replaced by fruit and nut trees and vegetable gardens.
During the exhibition, the artist is presenting Saturday talks to inform and inspire visitors on wide-ranging topics such as community solutions, regional biodiversity, vegetable gardening, papier-mâché, and meditation.
The full schedule of presentations can be seen here. |
