On View in Person & Online
October 25 – November 29, 2020
Book a Viewing with the Artist:
Saturday, November 7 & 21, 2020, between 2 & 4pm
Walk-ins Welcomed!
On View
in person & online
Oct 30 – Nov 29, 2020
Book a Viewing with the Artist:
Saturday, November 7 & 21, 2020, between 2 & 4pm
Walk-ins Welcomed!
Joan Kaufman’s latest exhibition Woodlands weaves together time, place, and memory. Using personal documentation of the dense woodlands of New Forest, in Southern England, Kaufman constructs immersive preternatural environments that conjure the feeling of being engrossed by the ancient wilderness – experiencing its profound silence and the dissipating light. Shown alongside a suite of fifty-four drawings, the exhibition coaxes audiences to reflect on themes of shelter and transformation.
“The magic and mystery of the woods are embedded in culture, from ancient folklore to modern literature. They offer us refuge: a place to play, a place to think. They are generous providers of timber and energy. They let us dream of other ways of living. Yet we now face a future where taking a walk in the woods is consigned to the tales we tell our children.”
Peter Fiennes
Oak and Ash and Thorn: The Ancient Woods & New Forests of Britain (2017)
“The magic and mystery of the woods are embedded in culture, from ancient folklore to modern literature. They offer us refuge: a place to play, a place to think. They are generous providers of timber and energy. They let us dream of other ways of living. Yet we now face a future where taking a walk in the woods is consigned to the tales we tell our children.”
Peter Fiennes
Oak and Ash and Thorn: The Ancient Woods & New Forests of Britain (2017)
In her Woodlands series, Kaufman’s multidimensional photographs make visible the connections between the land, culture, and place by mapping them onto human forms. Figures, materializing like a lucid dream, are overlaid on the remnants, structures, and overgrowth found in the terrain. These landmarks reassure us that we are not rootless; our identity and place, is part of a larger design.
There, scattered randomly throughout the forest, are manmade shelter-like constructions. The origins of these human-size structures remain unknown. Her photographs invite viewers to imagine the reason for and purpose behind these crude shelters. The figures echo the environment, a symbiosis between the two, one blending into the other. Branches and vines appear as if emerging from the figure’s limbs: extending through its arms, legs, backs.
Woodlands 1
2019
c-print with pro lustre laminate,
float mounted
ed. 1 of 5
34.5 x 61 inches (framed)
In after woodlands, Kaufman presents a radically different picture. Her pastel and charcoal drawings form a large tapestry of vignettes examining the human condition in the shadow of environmental and societal instability. Linked thematically, the drawings intertwine narratives concerning social, industrial and environmental turbulence. They are steeped with hints of lament and loss, while also offering a potent heroic human response. For Kaufman this ongoing project poses introspective questions: Where do we find ourselves? What lies ahead? How do we respond?
after woodlands (artwork details)
click arrows to see more
JOAN KAUFMAN is a multi-disciplinary Canadian artist whose practice is based in sculpture, photography, drawing, video and sound composition. Kaufman is the recipient of Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council and Manitoba Arts Council grants, has exhibited nationally and internationally and has work in public and private collections. Most recently her work was shown in Venice, Italy. Joan Kaufman is represented by Lonsdale Gallery in Toronto.
GALLERY HOURS
Wednesdays - Saturday
11am - 5pm
or, by Appointment
CLOSED LONG WEEKENDS