PLUS GALLERY SPOTLIGHT ON BIENNIAL ARTIST LUKE PAINTER

In finalizing the lineup for our upcoming Biennial of the Americas exhibition "You Are Here," the only missing component seemed to be an artist working in time-based mediums.  All recommendations pointed to Toronto artist and educator Luke Painter as the optimal choice to complement.  His series of animations that will be on view for the biennial show the artist re-imagining particular sites in Montreal and Toronto that are now populated with pre-fab condos as they once were with more glorious, bygone architecture. The expansion and contraction within the animations suggests planned social projects of varying scale that are continually conceived, constructed and ultimately replaced through an endless cycle of development.

Though Painter's animations drew us in, providing the perfect thematic component for the exhibition, we were also wowed by this artists overall virtuosity and versatility.  Highly skilled as a draftsman, Painter has developed an expansive practice rooted in drawing but extending much further through major conceptual installations and sculptural works.  We couldn't resist his drawings however, and though they may not be within the exhibition proper, we'll have a couple on hand for everyone to see including the fabulous "Firestarter Exodus" from 2009.

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Painter is prolific as a teacher at the University level and has consistently been awarded Canadian grants since emerging onto the scene in 2001.  Recent exhibitions of his work include: Revival-esque at Angell Gallery in Toronto (solo 2009) and Par Nature at Bonneau-Samames Art Contemporain in Marseille, France (solo 2009), Pulse New York Art Fair (2009), Portland Documentary and Experimental Film Festival (2009) and the Athina Art Fair in Greece (009).

2010 is another busy year for Painter, along with his inclusion in the Denver biennial here at Plus he was recently featured  in the exhibition "Ancestral Vision" with Philippe Blanchard at 47 Milky Way in Toronto, with a mixed media installation work that seemlessly blends the full range of his artistic skills.  In August Painter mounts a solo exhibition at the Elora Centre of the Arts in Ontario.

"Ancestral Visions" Installation View

"Renovation (The Shining)" Installation View at Pulse NY 2009

Painters last show with his terrific Toronto dealer Jamie Angell at Angell Gallery was well received, we encourage reading the report on the exhibition from the The Globe and Mail:

http://westqueenwest.ca/node/605 

To see more on Luke and his work, visit his website at

http://www.lukepainter.ca