PROOF
12
July 14- August 13, 2005
Reception: Thurs, July 14, 6-8 pm
Matthieu Brouillard
Robyn Cumming
Jeanne Ju
Suvi Kuisma
James Nizam
Elise Rasmussen
Joanna Simpson
Matthieu
Brouillard,
Untitled (after Grunwald), 2004,
Lambda digital print, 120 x 90 cm.
PROOF 12
It is always tempting, with any group show, to try to tease out some common
threads. Even though, as in the case of these seven artists, their grouping
together is somewhat arbitrary. For PROOF12, the selection committee,
(composed of PROOF11 participants Alison Skyrme and Melanie Ibadlit, and
ESC members Toni Hafkenscheid, Katy McCormick and myself) considered the
artists on their own merit and thoughts of any thematic relationships
between them were left largely untouched.
Still, it is hard not to read something into, for instance, the way many
of the artists in PROOF12 use interior space as staging grounds, metaphoric
representations of the self, or even simply to reinforce the division
between inside and out. Accumulation and decay reappear, as do examinations
of interpersonal relationships, be they familial, professional, philosophical,
and the provisional construction of identity (and photography’s complicity
in this). There is even a recurring use of deliberately artificial lighting,
to heighten, to isolate, to make anti-heroic.
What might it all mean? Perhaps these artists expose what we—and
many photographs—try to keep at bay: the messy improvisation of living,
the attempt to raise ourselves to success, however defined. Or, perhaps
it is that all we are left with is our ability to endure, to take one
breath and then another. Photographs are perfectly suited to giving us
that truth: split second moments, forever caught.
Whatever you may see in these works, Matthieu Brouillard (Montreal), Robyn
Cumming (Toronto), Jeanne Ju (Halifax), Suvi Kuisma (Toronto), James Nizam
(Vancouver), Elise Rasmussen (Toronto) and Joanna Simpson (Mississauga)
all ably demonstrate their critical engagement with photography. This
is their promise.
-Sophie Hackett
Joanna Simpson, Suburban Landscape #3, from the
905 series, inkjet print on fine art matte paper, 60.9 x 86.3
cm.
Matthieu
Brouillard
"My photographs should be seen as the representation of a
world of ice, as a world petrified in its expansion by a strange parasitic
mechanism, language that invests reality and finally remodels it according
to scenarios, and then—because the human figure is always present
in my images—as an attempt to express the anguish of man facing such
a process of dispossession. Accordingly, we must imagine a scene of total
darkness invaded by voices to lead the characters, to direct the lights,
to shift their glances, to freeze their breath in the surrounding air,
etcetera, and the image after the curtain has been raised (the shutter),
as the final state of this comedy."
With his gritty, large-scale black and white images, Brouillard creates
a parallel between photography and language: both exist as traps from
which the individual can never escape. In theatrical terms, photography
is the stage, language the director. This leaves humans as the actors.
But there is no aliveness here. The lone figures in Brouillard’s
images appear as heavy puppets, exhausted, at the point of near collapse
from the effort they expend to navigate the world they inhabit. There
is no hope of release, no warm or cooling wind to bring a change in this
weather. Yet they stumble on, forever bound to this abject stage.
Joanna
Simpson
"I created these images to convey feelings of disorientation, unsettlement,
alienation and isolation about the lack of identity I feel within my suburban
life. Due to the sameness and similarity of new homes being built within
my surroundings, I created this body of work to depict my constant striving
for identity. In my portrayal of the suburbs, it is the dark side of economic
success that leaves little room for self realization."
Indeed, Simpson’s dark, dreamy photographs act as something of a
cautionary tale; a careful-what-you-wish-for scenario, where what we build
can hold the very seeds of our discontent. The glowing houses appear remote,
enticing yet unattainable, exuding too little warmth to compensate for
the overwhelming darkness. By including us in her voyeuristic strolls,
Simpson creates a parallel experience with viewing photographs: we come
close to knowledge but are ultimately left out in the cold.
Robyn Cumming
"I’m interested in exploring portraiture
by representing issues of role-playing within my photographs. Through
the careful constructing of the relationships between the elements within
my frames, I want to provoke viewers into speculating not only about the
contents of my pictures but also about their own life experiences…
Though the drama of each scene is of the staged and the strange, the images
hold recognizable clues, cueing the viewer to a world they can identify
with. In turn, each challenges the observer to consider the complex and
abrasive nature of the relationship between this dramatic and strange
concocted world and the obscured, concealing world in which we all live."
The red-curtained proscenium arch in Cumming’s photographs immediately
prompts our awareness of two things: the artifice of the stage and the
act of looking. Beyond the curtains, we see environments filled with fragile,
jerry-rigged structures, meant for permanence but clearly inadequate.
The images reek of compulsion, too, of behaviours that we strain to mitigate
but cannot quite, and of accumulation—both psychic and physical.
The stuff that surrounds her figures exists with them, because of them.
It trails in each self’s wake, precious baggage and albatross, reflecting
who we think we should be, propping us up, lending cold comfort.
Robyn Cumming, Putting on a Brave Face, from the In Place
series, 2004, chromogenic print, 76.20 x 81.28 cm.
Jeanne Ju
"This collection of photographs involves being photographed with
various art celebrities whose work is often referenced in contemporary
art. Inspired by my photograph, "me and susan sontag," in which
Sontag is completely ignoring the camera, the photographs with art celebrities
are meant to both comment on the performative act of posing to take a
snapshot with someone who might be considered a celebrity, and point out
the fact that we often do not know the face behind a "big name.""
Ju’s portraits of herself with an array of art stars humourously
use that "I was here!" aspect of snapshot photography. The humour
lies in both in the idea of Ju, an artist herself, making work using other
artists, but also in the fact that contemporary artists have become sought-after
figures. Something about the act is futile, documenting nothing more than
proximity, the hope that some of that celebrity pixie-dust will rub off
on her. The images, too, invite a reading of the persona of the artist
in general (does Andreas Gursky’s mien indicate genius at work?),
as well as of each artist’s personality (is Lorna Simpson happy or
exhausted or tipsy?). Ju cashes in on our curiosity about such figures
of success – that somehow seeing them will give us some clue to their
renown. But, really, we are left with nothing but shallow observations,
as flimsy as photo paper.
Jeanne Ju, ME AND CINDY SHERMAN, from the Exchange series,
2004, chromogenic print, 12.7 x 17.78 cm.
Elise
Rasmussen
"In every photograph one character is illuminated to isolate them
from the rest of the scene. They seem to possess the ability to stop the
action going on around and contemplate their place and purpose in the
different scenarios. In many ways this ability to stop time personifies
photography, for by taking an image the photographer has the power to
freeze a moment. The characters are imagined and play an integral role
in an overall family construct. Each is dealing with their own sense of
isolation from those around them, and ironically this becomes the commonality
between the subjects. The series reflects each person’s struggle
with themselves and the world around them."
In Rasmussen’s dioramas of alone-ness, the spotlight that settles
on each figure heightens a bald moment of self-awareness, of self-consciousness.
This is not a moment of revelation, nor of insight, but one of recognition.
Rasmussen forces it outward towards us, the viewers. In this way, she
invites our empathy for the subjects and our identification with them.
And although there is a loose narrative that swirls around each of the
spotlit figures, the flow of events takes a backseat to these unembellished
moments of isolation. These remain the true constant.
Suvi Kuisma
"Born in Canada, and never having lived in Finland, I find it interesting
that I long for a homeland that has never actually been my home. It has
been constructed over time from photographs, stories, as well as my own
memories of the places I have visited there … Through my work, I
try to maintain the dissolving threads that stretch to bridge that gap.
But the two sides can never join. Just as the photograph and its referent
cannot reunite, I am unable to return to this lost home. My exploration
does not seek a return home, rather, I am interested in the impossibility
of rebuilding this home and connecting with the past. Ultimately, I focus
on the fragmentations and ruptures in memory."
Like a Mobius strip, Kuisma’s knitting piece mediation gives us infinity.
The endless raveling and unraveling of the red yarn draws the endless
connection of the self to the past, to tradition, to performance. Knitting
is an elegant representation of history and how we are each inseparable
from our own. But it also underlines the repeated act. It is that act
that matters most. Like breath travelling in and out of the body, repetition
is necessary; it is the only meaning.
Suvi Kuisma, Mediation, from herenowthenthere: s p a c e s i
n b e t w e e n, 2004,3-channel video installation embedded in a 9ft
x 10in x 4in wooden plank suspended by wires.
James
Nizam
"[M]y current work takes up an investigation of the domestic interiors
of abandoned homes just prior to demolition. In Dwellings, a nocturnal
photo series illuminated by flashlight, I examine and elucidate uprooted
habitats at moments of lapse and decay. In exploring and mapping a fragmented
urban environment, I have returned to the site of the empty home to address
themes of displacement and disconnection. If these photos register disquiet
and unease through their signs, traces, and artifacts, it is perhaps that
they expose concealed tensions in an unsettled ‘everyday life.’"
The gleaming city in the distance, the detritus-filled shell of a home,
the contrast of exterior facades with interior disarray, the perceived
perfection of someone else’s life beside our disordered sense of
our own. Nizam’s scenes seem possessed by ghosts. The glow of the
flashlight that travels through these interiors gives them an otherworldly
feel. It seems to redeem them in their last abandoned moments. Or perhaps,
even better, it signals the soul leaving the body.
James Nizam, Dwelllings Series, 2004, transmounted light jet print,
60.96 cm X 91.44 cm.
Proof Bios
Matthieu Brouillard was born in Montreal in 1976, where he works
and lives. His practice includes writing, drawing, and photography. Since
1997 his images have been shown in numerous group exhibitions in Quebec.
He is currently writing his doctoral thesis on the relationship between
theatricality and photography. His photographic work will be the subject
of an individual exhibition at Galerie Dazibao, Montreal, in November
2005.
Since graduating from Ryerson University’s School of Image Arts,
Robyn Cumming has received numerous awards
including an artistic grant for graduating artists and the Roloff Beny
Study Abroad Scholarship, providing her with the opportunity to study
photography in Paris, France. Robyn’s work has been exhibited in
Toronto venues including The Ryerson Gallery, The Distillery, The Harbourfront
Centre, and XeXe Gallery. Her work has been featured in Coupe, Visual
and MacLean’s magazine and has been reviewed in National publications
such as The Globe and Mail and The National Post. Robyn will commence
MFA studies at York University in fall. She is represented by XeXe Gallery
and her work is represented in private collections in Canada, the United
States and Europe. Robyn lives and works in Toronto.
Jeanne Ju was born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, in 1976. She holds
a B.Sc. in Biology from Dalhousie University and a BFA (Double Major in
Photography and Media Arts) from NSCAD University. She has exhibited her
work in Halifax, Toronto, New York, and New Jersey, notably Unframed First
Look (2004), a show juried by Cindy Sherman, Adam Fuss and Jack Pierson,
at the Sean Kelly Gallery in New York. Ju has received numerous awards,
including grants from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust and the Charlotte Wilson-Hammond
Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award. She currently lives and works in Halifax.
Suvi Kuisma was born in Kingsville, Ontario
in 1977. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2000,
and completed her MFA at the University of Windsor in 2004 where she received
a scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
of Canada. During the summer of 2004 she attended a residency at the Nordic
Institute for Contemporary Art (NIFCA) in Finland. Suvi has received support
from both the Canada and Ontario Arts councils. She currently lives in
Toronto and works primarily in photography and video installation.
James Nizam is a Vancouver-based artist working within a multi-disciplinary
practice. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2002
and received a BFA in visual arts. His work has been exhibited in group
shows in the Vancouver area. He has forthcoming group shows in London,
England, Barcelona, Spain, and Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His first solo
exhibition opens in Vancouver in fall 2005. James is currently represented
by Gallery Jones.
Elise Rasmussen graduated with a BFA in photography from Ryerson
University in 2004. She has exhibited in various venues in and around
Toronto and has received a number of awards including an exhibition grant
from the Imperial Tobacco Canada Artistic Development Board (2004). Her
work has been published in magazines such as Applied Arts, Lift, and Function.
In fall 2005, she will begin MFA studies in photography at The School
of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Joanna Simpson received her BFA from the Ontario College of Art
and Design in photography in 2005. She has since exhibited in group shows
at Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts and OCAD Gallery in Toronto. Her
latest work utilizes suburban landscapes to exemplify absence of identity
within familiar living environments. She lives and works in Toronto.
Sophie Hackett is a Toronto-based writer and independent curator.
She has curated five exhibitions, including The Found and the Familiar:
Snapshots in Contemporary Canadian Art, Flash Forward, and Wallpaper.
Her writing has been published in Lola, Saturday Night magazine, Xtra!,
C Magazine, Canadian Art and Prefix Photo. She completed an MA in Art
History at the University of Chicago in June 2004. In September 2005,
she will begin a graduate internship in the Department of Photographs
at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
