ART IN ISOLATION
Open Gallery
August 23 to September 18, 2021
Curated by Nathan O’Connor and Monique Reiswig
Art in Isolation was a program inspired by how art, while often created in isolation, is a powerful medium that can connect people across time and space.
Over the past 18 months, many folks have had to adapt to working in isolation and discover new ways of staying connected within our communities. Throughout the summer, we invited artists of all ages to participate in the creation of a collaborative mural and share their stories with us, answering the question: “How has art given you strength this past year?”
The 40 + participants completed their visual responses both at home and at the Gallery in our Summer Art Camp, and were given only two guidelines: use only one colour of paint mixed with black and white and incorporate the section of black line on their canvas with their composition.
The black line begins on the top left of the wall, and continues, through each artwork and then back onto the wall, ending at the bottom right of the wall. Some of the panels were not returned in time for the exhibition, so spaces were held for those canvas that remain in isolation, with the connecting line drawn onto the wall between the surrounding panels.
Adjacent to the Art in Isolation: How We Connect Through Art mural is a selection of artworks created during our Summer Art Camps. The wall was painted in an ombre of purple fading into pink, to both contrast the artwork and to highlight the bright moments and connection that art can bring to our lives.
Photo: Garnet Dirksen