“Specifically, I was thinking: what is the response in a time when climate change is radically altering the climate and the landscape.”—Jesse Stewart, artist.
visual art
“That’s something that I really appreciate about the Ottawa art scene—you have more freedom because there is no trend, because there is no pride in just being here, you just have to make work.”—Jinny Yu, associate professor of painting at the University of Ottawa
The pieces combine painting and technology to enhance and introduce a new contemporary art form.
Ode, this year’s grad show, will be one of the largest ever. An annual tradition, this is the last opportunity for artists in their final year of their undergraduate degree to present their work that has been the product of four years of artistic exploration and self-discovery. The exhibit is run entirely by the students, who organized themselves into groups responsible for fundraising, planning for the opening night, or creating the catalogue.
The nature of this gallery makes its latest exhibit, Full Catastrophe, appear almost ironic. The pieces, all created by University of Ottawa MFA candidates, disrupt the tranquility, leaving behind a catastrophe of sorts, reflecting the nature of the seven artists’ pieces featured in the exhibit.
The exhibit is the brainchild of second-year visual arts students Kelsea Shore and Sarah Elizabeth Beltrame and features paintings by Beltrame, an installation piece by Shore, performative pieces by the dancing thneeds, and an interactive piece where you can become a part of the art yourself.
For University of Ottawa visual arts alumna Shelby Dawn Smith, her latest exhibit Different Every Time was all about challenging herself as an artist and creating pieces which reflected her personal growth.
Denise, Trottier’s daughter, describes Wounded Creatures of Earth as an adjunct work to his well-known Easter Series. “(This exhibit expresses) how he felt about life, death and, ultimately, resurrection.”
Curious Creatures is Studio LaMouche’s latest exhibit, and includes graphic drawings and prints that use an abstract take on anatomy. Lucie B’s pieces in the show are part of her ongoing “Fly” collection, which includes black-and-white prints of the insect taking part in human activities—in one drawing he is playing a guitar, in another wearing a suit.
One of the artists behind this mural was Kalkidan Assefa, an Ottawa-based artist also known as @drippin_soul, his Instagram handle and tag for his art. When members of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) decided they wanted a mural painted in the University Centre (UCU) for Black History Month, they knew exactly who to call.
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