Garry Neill Kennedy
dal 12/10/2012 al 9/11/2012
Segnalato da
12/10/2012
Garry Neill Kennedy
Diaz Contemporary, Toronto
Quid Pro Quo is the latest iteration of Ethics 101, Kennedy's ongoing series of wall painting installations. The Four Seasons is another critical investigation of art and language. Each of Kennedy's chipboard paintings is named after one of the four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.
Diaz Contemporary is pleased to present an exhibition by Halifax-based artist, Garry
Neill Kennedy. This will be the artist’s first solo show with the gallery. QUID
PRO QUO and THE FOUR SEASONS continue Kennedy’s ambitious painting practice that
has spanned over the past five decades.
QUID PRO QUO is the latest iteration of Ethics 101, Kennedy’s ongoing series of
wall painting installations. This latin phrase is often used to connote a trade of
favours and the common English translation is ‘a favour for a favour’. It can be
perceived as an assurance of equality, that both parties are benefiting from a
transaction, but can also be used to describe darker acts of blackmail or bribery.
Previous installments of Ethics 101 include AN EYE FOR AN EYE at Museum London
(London, ON), TIT FOR TAT at Owens Art Gallery (Sackville, NB) and You Scratch My
Back And I’ll Scratch Yours at Articule (Montreal, QC). Kennedy’s use of
familiar phrases that suggest ideas of exchange and cooperation explore how
different forms of power are negotiated.
Kennedy’s site-specific wall paintings have previously utilized ‘Superstar
Shadow’, his own variation of the superstar font type, which is commonly used in
American naval and sports cultures. In this painting, QUID PRO QUO, Kennedy uses the
typeface ‘Chisel’, which is associated with permanence and monumentality.
Kennedy’s bold font choices straddle between abstraction and readability – or
art and utility.
THE FOUR SEASONS is another critical investigation of art and language. Each of
Kennedy’s chipboard paintings is named after one of the four seasons: Winter,
Spring, Summer and Autumn. The selection of colours for each ‘season’ is based
upon the paint colour’s trademarked name and their associative time of year. For
example, ‘Apple Blossom’, ‘Easter Bonnet’ and ‘Green Bud’ evoke visions
of spring; ‘Blizzard’, ‘Icy Moat’ and ‘Snow Princess’ are reminiscent of
wintery impressions.
Garry Neill Kennedy is one of Canada’s most prominent and pioneering contemporary
artists. In addition to an extensive international exhibition history, Kennedy has
also held the position of president of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design for
twenty-three years (1967-1990), establishing NSCAD University as a forerunner in art
education. Recently, MIT Press invited Kennedy to author a book, The Last Art
College, NSCAD (1968-1978) that chronicles the first ten years of his presidency. He
also recently completed the National Gallery of Canada’s publication, Garry Neill
Kennedy, Printed Matter, 1971-2009. In 2003, Kennedy was a recipient of the Order of
Canada and in 2004, was presented with the Governor General’s Award in Visual and
Media Arts.
Kennedy has had recent solo exhibitions at Printed Matter in New York City, Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax, Pickled Art Centre in Beijing, Museum of
Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto and at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. His work
can also be found in numerous public and private collections including: Vancouver
Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Art Gallery of Ontario, the Museum of
Modern Art (New York City), and the National Gallery of Canada.
Opening Saturday 13 October from 3 to 6
Diaz Contemporary
100 Niagara Street (at Tecumseth) - Toronto, ON M5V 1C5
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 to 6, or by appointment