High praise for Plus gallery exhibition in today's Denver Post

Art Critic Kyle MacMillan provides an exceptional take on Plus Gallery's exhibition "You Are Here" in today's Denver Post. His interpretation of Douglas Walker's massive piece is particularly spot on, it really must be seen in person and is a work of extraordinary thought and integrity. The other works are exceptional too, artists Brendan Tang and Alex McLeod are particularly blossoming in the international spotlight right now.  McLeod is quickly becoming the darling of the contemporary scene in Canada (see link below) and contrary to MacMillan's article, Tang is actually one of five finalists for the 2010 Sobey Art Award and we have no doubt in our minds that he will win the award come November.


All of the artists have contributed to make this one of our most cohesive curatorial efforts to date, there is a lot to discover and learn if you come visit to see the exhibition, which is on view for only one more week, closing after Friday, August 20th.

The gallery will shut down for two weeks thereafter in preparation for the fall season and for a well-needed vacation.

Read the Denver Post review online at:
www.denverpost.com/art/ci_15746699  
Listen to Art Critic Leanne Goebel's interview with Brendan Tang online at
http://networkedblogs.com/6Lntk
And this just came out on Alex McLeod, an artist who is literally on fire:
http://arttoronto.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/futuristic-art-traditional-ideals-alex-mcleod-is-a-hybrid/ 

If you haven't seen his billboard as part of the Denver Theatre District's outdoor art gallery yet, we recommend swinging by to take a look, approximately at the corner of 14th and Arapahoe.  It is history being made!

Plus Gallery Biennial Exhibition Continues Through August 20th

The Biennial may be over, but "You Are Here" at Plus Gallery continues on till August 20th.  We have put a lot of effort into crafting an exciting exhibition for the inaugural Biennial and encourage you to come visit and see works by five extremely talented artists from Canada. Not nearly as heady as some of the artistic work on display at other Biennial venues, the works on view at Plus Galleryare very approachable and hit multiple high-notes from both a visual and process standpoint.  It is one of our finest efforts of the year and we encourage you to come view it in person.

Other reason to come by Plus Gallery now:  A new mid-size painting by John Hull of a topless woman and her dog on the beach, as well as two smaller paintings from the same series, hand delivered by John last week while he was out in Denver for summer vacation.

What else is happening in august?  Plus Gallery artist Tsehai Johnson has been in residence at PlatteForum, which is collaborating with Lighthouse Writers Workshop for the Biennial Exhibition "Here at Home: 6 Artists." Opening this Thursday, August 5 from 3 - 8pm, the public is welcome to tour the artists' work, along with a dynamic literary reading by local writers of all ages and site-specific performance (approximately 6pm).  The exhibitions and activity will take place at PlatteForum and Riverfront Park Suites #135, 120 and 170.  Johnson recently received a major public commission by the Federal Government, and is also on tap to exhibit at the Denver Art Museum next year for their focus on contemporary ceramic works.

New addition to the gallery stable Allie Pohl has new work in her "Ideal Woman" series up at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, and is working on an extension of the series for an exhibition at the Marina Abromovic Institute in San Francisco this fall.  She will also be mounting the exhibition "XX-XY" at the Orlando Art Museum in the fall as well.  Allie is one of the most energetic and forward-thinking artists we've come across in a long time, we highly recommend getting to know her work.  

We are also extremely pleased to announce the recent addition of Xi Zhang to the Plus Gallery stable.  Hailed in 2008 as the "Emerging Artist of the Year" by the Denver Post, Xi is simply an astonishing and gifted painter.  He first caught attention while studying at RMCAD in our "Young Guns" exhibition of new talent.  He is currently finishing his masters at CU Boulder, pushing the envelope in a major way with both his major and minor works.  He currently has several large-scale canvases on display at DIA, and will have work available to see at Plus Gallery in the fall.

PLUS GALLERY OPENS NEW EXHIBITION "YOU ARE HERE" THIS FRIDAY JULY 9th IN CONJUNCTION WITH BIENNIAL OF THE AMERICAS

We hope you will come join us in launching one of the most exciting exhibitions of the year here at PlusGallery this Friday, July 9th.  "You Are Here" is a curatorial effort of major proportions, a first in many regards for the gallery that brings some of the most exciting work from Canada to Denver in conjunction with the Denver 2010 Biennial of the Americas.  While there is a lot of Biennial activity out in the community, Plus Gallery is the only commercial gallery to get official partner status with the City of Denver.  This has allowed us to delve deeply into the talent pool up north, and we're pretty convinced that the effort was worthwhile and has allowed us to develop one of the most cohesive and engaging exhibitions to date.

Plus Gallery will host an opening reception for the exhibition from 7-9pm in conjunction with the Canadian Consulate General and Suncor Energy, sponsors who have joined us in recognizing the importance of this event

PLUS GALLERY'S BIENNIAL OF THE AMERICA'S EXHIBITION "YOU ARE HERE" AT COMMENCES NEXT FRIDAY

If you haven't heard by now, Denver has formulated a Biennial of art and ideas that starts tomorrow (yes tomorrow!) with a major exhibition at the newly renovated McNichols building in Civic Center Park and other components around the city from both cultural partners like Plus Gallery and other entities promoting Biennial fever!  One of the most anticipated visual components is our very own exhibition "You Are Here" featuring works by five extremely prominent Canadian Contemporary artists, hosted in conjunction with theCanadian Consulate General and Suncor Energy.  We want you to come celebrate the opening of this historic exhibition with us next Friday July 9th  from 7-9pm.

Most of the works for the exhibition have arrived at the gallery, we encourage anyone who is interested in an advance look to contact ivar@plusgallery.com  for an appointment.

PLUS GALLERY SPOTLIGHT ON BIENNIAL ARTIST ANDREW RUCKLIDGE

We first came across the work of Canadian artist Andrew Rucklidge while visiting Art Chicago back in 2007, his paintings exuding a strong sophistication of technique evoking the possibility of dark mystery.  The paintings are all rooted in landscape, and though they can be labeled as fantasy of the sublime they have a wide and compelling range of context that strikes a universal chord.  In his earlier works, the lushness of his geographic descriptions are overlapped by geometric codes and inscriptions reflecting the human presence and its impact on the scenes, creating a tension that merges the scientific with the romantic in a signature effect. Within the last couple of years Rucklidge has pushed towards a more abstract and perhaps ominous direction that strips away a broader sense of context, pushing the mystery to even deeper and more engaging levels.  Never content to confine his output to one methodology, Rucklidge experiments widely with his approach to painting, most recently working with larger encaustics and mid sized oils on linen. In all regards, his work is exquisitely compelling and brings another ideal component to our focus on Canadian artists of great depth.

Rucklidge is based in Toronto but in the summer works out of a studio/shed on lake Huron, a location that quite possibly bears a striking influence on his work.  In 2003 he received an MA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design, with previous studies in both Microbiology/Immunology and painting at  McGill University and Concordia respectively in Montreal. He has exhibited widely in Canada as well as England, and though he has been introduced to American audiences through Art Chicago in the last few years, "You are Here" will mark the first group gallery exhibition for him in the United States.

Andrew's Lake Huron studio shed

Rucklidge has been widely and positively reviewed in the international press, including major reviews in Modern Painters magazine and Canadian Art.  His most recent exhibitions have gained positive notice and can be read online at:

View on Canadian Art: March, 2009
http://viewoncanadianart.com/2009/03/27/voca-recommendsandrew-rucklidge/


Eye Weekly: May, 2008
http://www.eyeweekly.com/eyecandy/article/27589 

Rucklidge has an outstanding hard-cover book published by his Canadian Dealer Christopher Cutts Gallery with views of his paintings from 2005-2007.  Plus Gallery will have several copies available at the gallery for purchase in conjunction with the exhibition, or free to those who acquire his work.

To see more on Andrew visit his website at

http://www.andrewrucklidge.com 

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  

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR BIENNIAL OF THE AMERICA'S GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION!

Help launch the inaugural Biennial of the Americas this July 1st in style, with the kickoff party at the McNichols building in Civic Center Park, 144 W Colfax Ave, Denver.  From 5:30-7:00 pm is the Patron Pre-Reception and Exclusive Tour with Exhibit Curator, Paola Santoscoy, a scant $250 which also includes Valet parking.

Or, you can celebrate with the general opening from 7:00-9:00 pm for $100 Individual/$75 Young Professionals (under 30).  Valet is not included in the ticket price, but is available.  We recommend using Denver's bcycle program to get there and avoiding any additional charges for parking.

At this event you will enjoy elegant passed hor d’oeuvres and local music while mingling with artists and international dignitaries. Explore three floors of art installations specifically designed to showcase the Americas!

$100 of tickets to special Biennial events included with purchase of Celebration ticket!

For more info visit  http://www.biennialoftheamericas.org