PATRICK THOMPSON
HIGHLY ESTEEMED CANADIAN artist Patrick Thompson makes his presence known in Ottawa this holiday season, showing off his latest batch of works, dubbed Sausage Fingers.
Although he lives and works primarily in Toronto, Thompson has travelled the world and displayed his creations in many exotic locales, including the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona, Articulate Baboon Gallery in Cairo, and the Nanjing Arts Institute in Nanjing.
Thompson’s works are notably street art inspired. He has been known to experiment with materials, process, and colour on the sides of buildings and under bridges, using the urban landscape as a concrete canvas.
Thompson explores the history and dynamics of mass media culture through artistic mediums, such as installations, wall drawings, printmaking, and sculptures. Thompson is also well known for his expansive and colourful murals, which he mostly paints in Canada’s high Arctic.
If you find yourself suffering from a severe case of the Christmas blues in the upcoming weeks, drop on by the Wurm Gallery and lose yourself in some seriously trippy and thought-provoking artwork.
Looks Like: If Banksy dropped acid and went nuts with colour and abstract imagery.
Check it Out: Dec. 16–Jan 18, Patrick Thompson’s works will be shown at Wurm Gallery, located inside Invisible Cinema at 319 Lisgar St.
AIDAN KNIGHT
AS A SINGER-SONGWRITER hailing from the West Coast, it makes sense that Aidan Knight’s music is best listened to on rainy days. This Victoria-based folk artist creates heart-warming songs with insightful lyrics and acoustic guitar, resulting in a mature sound for an artist whose first full-length album only came out in March 2010.
Knight’s first album, Versicolour, has a narrative quality accentuated by his soothing vocals. It features tracks such as “Jasper”, which is arranged with striking harmonization and back-up vocals contrasted by the drums and horns of “Fighting Against Your Lungs”.
In 2010, Knight released the three- song digital EP Friendly Fires—an album about forgotten friendships, pizza parties, and making beer.
His live experimentation with looping and instruments such as the flugelhorn has earned Knight respect in the Vancouver music scene, recently playing with other popular Canadian acts like Dan Mangan and the Zolas.
Knight’s sophomore full-length album is in the works and will be released some time in 2012.
Sounds like: The beauty of the Canadian West Coast expressed through calming vocals and a delightful blend of acoustic instruments.
Check him out: Online here.
