Ian Wallace
12 Sep - 24 Oct 2009
IAN WALLACE
September 12 - October 24, 2009
Yvon Lambert is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by artist Ian Wallace, a leading figure in conceptual photography in Vancouver, Canada.
This show will run concurrently with an exhibition of new work by Jill Magid. Both exhibitions open with a reception for the artists on Saturday, September 12, 2009 from 6-8 pm and will be on view until October 24, 2009.
Wallace’s artistic style draws from numerous influences including modernism, classical and minimalist painting, literature and cinematography.
The works in this exhibition consist of several pairings of photolaminated paintings that continue the dialogue of opposition characteristic of Wallace’s practice. Contradictory elements frequently present themselves in the composition of Wallace’s artwork: near and far, identical and different, open and closed, present and absent. These distinctions are not only formal, in the dynamics of figure and ground, but also technical, in his juxtaposition of painting and
photography. Wallace seeks to transcend the traditional image and create a dialogue within each work by engaging conceptual elements with photography.
Wallace is decidedly influenced by high modernist art and architecture, which he finds to provide the formal language that most clearly describes the conundrums of our personal and institutional relationships with the world today. The minimalist, linear elements of high modernism are reflected in Wallace’s own work. In the 1960s Wallace created a series of large monochromatic paintings. In the 1970s the artist began staging large-scale photographs that he would later color by hand, merging photography and painting, a technique that is fundamental to his practice. Subsequently, Wallace’s method evolved to become what he is best known for: photographs laminated on canvas with a stripe of painted color.
Ian Wallace was born in Shoreham, England in 1943 and he has lived and worked in Vancouver since 1944. He received his MA in art history from the University of British Columbia in 1968. In 2008 Wallace had concurrent major solo exhibitions at the Witte de With, Rotterdam; Kunsthalle Zurich; and Kunstverein für die Reinlande und Westfalen, Dusseldorf. The three institutions jointly published a monograph on the artist titled Ian Wallace: A Literature of Images. Ian Wallace’s work has been exhibited in exhibitions at venues including: The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Renia Sofia, Madrid; The Vancouver Art Gallery; Kunstverein in Hamburg; and the Art Gallery of Ontario. In June 2009 the Canada Council awarded Wallace the prestigious Molson Prize for the Arts recognizing his influential artistic contributions to Canada.
September 12 - October 24, 2009
Yvon Lambert is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by artist Ian Wallace, a leading figure in conceptual photography in Vancouver, Canada.
This show will run concurrently with an exhibition of new work by Jill Magid. Both exhibitions open with a reception for the artists on Saturday, September 12, 2009 from 6-8 pm and will be on view until October 24, 2009.
Wallace’s artistic style draws from numerous influences including modernism, classical and minimalist painting, literature and cinematography.
The works in this exhibition consist of several pairings of photolaminated paintings that continue the dialogue of opposition characteristic of Wallace’s practice. Contradictory elements frequently present themselves in the composition of Wallace’s artwork: near and far, identical and different, open and closed, present and absent. These distinctions are not only formal, in the dynamics of figure and ground, but also technical, in his juxtaposition of painting and
photography. Wallace seeks to transcend the traditional image and create a dialogue within each work by engaging conceptual elements with photography.
Wallace is decidedly influenced by high modernist art and architecture, which he finds to provide the formal language that most clearly describes the conundrums of our personal and institutional relationships with the world today. The minimalist, linear elements of high modernism are reflected in Wallace’s own work. In the 1960s Wallace created a series of large monochromatic paintings. In the 1970s the artist began staging large-scale photographs that he would later color by hand, merging photography and painting, a technique that is fundamental to his practice. Subsequently, Wallace’s method evolved to become what he is best known for: photographs laminated on canvas with a stripe of painted color.
Ian Wallace was born in Shoreham, England in 1943 and he has lived and worked in Vancouver since 1944. He received his MA in art history from the University of British Columbia in 1968. In 2008 Wallace had concurrent major solo exhibitions at the Witte de With, Rotterdam; Kunsthalle Zurich; and Kunstverein für die Reinlande und Westfalen, Dusseldorf. The three institutions jointly published a monograph on the artist titled Ian Wallace: A Literature of Images. Ian Wallace’s work has been exhibited in exhibitions at venues including: The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Renia Sofia, Madrid; The Vancouver Art Gallery; Kunstverein in Hamburg; and the Art Gallery of Ontario. In June 2009 the Canada Council awarded Wallace the prestigious Molson Prize for the Arts recognizing his influential artistic contributions to Canada.