October 15th the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery unmasks a new exhibition. “THE MASQUERADE” features work by Anagetha Dyck, Lindsay Craig, and Carole Epp. There will be an Artist Talk with Aganetha Dyck – 1pm, and an Opening 2pm - 5pm on October 18th.

Aganetha Dyck’s “MMASKED BALL SERIES” began after the artist was given a few figurines that made her think of lavish parties held in the ornately decorated ballrooms of yester-centuries. In building her collection from antique and second-hand stores, she discovered that many had defects yet were still offered for sale. Working in collaboration with honeybees, the artist gives these figurines new life, dimension, and an enigmatic beauty. The honeybees have an amazing ability to alter their subjects, adding a strange beauty. The resulting works are not completely changed, only subtly altered – as if ‘masked’ for a masquerade ball. Aganetha Dyck received the Governor General’s Award in Media and Visual Arts in 2007 and the Arts Award of Distinction from the Manitoba Arts Council in 2006.

Lindsay Craig’s installation of glass and porcelain sculptural dolls addresses issues of identity, femininity, and popular culture. “PLAYING WITH DOLLS” refers back to the artist’s childhood proclivities while carrying multiple conceptual layers from various and disparate sources that are open to a variety of interpretations as they incorporate influences of religious, mythological, and pop culture imagery. The forms for the doll sculptures are based on the “Composition Doll” that was manufactured by the Reliable Toy Company in the 1940s. Craig uses all of her skills as a sculptor, jewelry designer, illustrator, fabric designer, and painter to blur the lines between sculpture and drawing.

In “A COLLECTION OF INNOCENT CRIMES,” Carole Epp manipulates the figurative collectible into sculptures that are rich in narrative and metaphor. These tiny tableaus present politically and socially charged subject matter representing aspects of childhood, nostalgia, kitsch, stereotypes, and most importantly – consumption. While the miniature scenes may speak about larger world issues, the moments they create are intimate. They present to viewers how anyone’s simple daily actions might have an impact on the larger whole. Through bringing the overwhelming and devastating nature of war, terrorism, poverty, starvation, genetic technology, and environmental degradation back to a dialogue with the individual consumer the artist offers more positive outlooks for pro-active change regarding today’s serious global issues.

Tying into the theme of our other exhibitions, “COSMOS” by Cédric Ginart, presents strange devices and contraptions that exist somewhere between the worlds of science and the outrageously fantastic. “COSMOS” is held in conjunction with the Perimeter Institute’s QUANTUM TO COSMOS FESTIVAL. Inspired by actual instruments used by Galileo, Copernicus, and Leonardo da Vinci, these works appear humorous yet archaically functional. This exhibition is further complemented by the incorporation of authentic antique scientific tools from the Museum of Vision Science and Optometry at the University of Waterloo.

“Society is a Masked Ball, where everyone hides his real character, and reveals it by hiding. “ ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery www.canadianclayandglass.ca
25 Caroline Street North, Waterloo, ON N2L 2Y5 519.746.1882 Fax 519.746.6396