Brian Donnelly: Obedience & Savagery
Nov 05, 2010 - Nov 28, 2010
Brian views his work as a way to settle his own selfish whims, while exploring art and art culture through representational painting.
Brian embraced his current mode of creation through frustration and destructive behavior. These aspects in conjunction with a need to breathe new life into his 'otherwise stagnant' figurative practice led Brian to the actual 'spoiling' of paintings through the obliteration of elements. In doing so Brian began to think about his work's importance within art culture, and question whether or not vandalism is destructive, or procreative.
These ideas were amplified greatly with the reading of books like 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' and 'Frankenstein'. In both stories the title character acts on rather rash and selfish impulse, without considering consequence, merely working to please the ego. Looking deeper, both are tales of inhuman cruelty and deplorable scientific practice. It was these two books that set Brian searching for a way to apply that type of selfish cruelty to his primarily visual medium.
The aim became not to recreate works based on fiction, but to create his own vision of cruelty. Modeling himself after the hap-hazard doctors of fiction, by substituting their scientific practice for his artistic practice, Brian has become a fierce and unforgiving editor of art; the antagonist of his own creations.
Brian embraced his current mode of creation through frustration and destructive behavior. These aspects in conjunction with a need to breathe new life into his 'otherwise stagnant' figurative practice led Brian to the actual 'spoiling' of paintings through the obliteration of elements. In doing so Brian began to think about his work's importance within art culture, and question whether or not vandalism is destructive, or procreative.
These ideas were amplified greatly with the reading of books like 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' and 'Frankenstein'. In both stories the title character acts on rather rash and selfish impulse, without considering consequence, merely working to please the ego. Looking deeper, both are tales of inhuman cruelty and deplorable scientific practice. It was these two books that set Brian searching for a way to apply that type of selfish cruelty to his primarily visual medium.
The aim became not to recreate works based on fiction, but to create his own vision of cruelty. Modeling himself after the hap-hazard doctors of fiction, by substituting their scientific practice for his artistic practice, Brian has become a fierce and unforgiving editor of art; the antagonist of his own creations.
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Brian views his work as a way to settle his own selfish whims, while exploring art and art culture through representational painting.
Brian embraced his current mode of creation through frustration and destructive behavior. These aspects in conjunction with a need to breathe new life into his 'otherwise stagnant' figurative practice led Brian to the actual 'spoiling' of paintings through the obliteration of elements. In doing so Brian began to think about his work's importance within art culture, and question whether or not vandalism is destructive, or procreative.
These ideas were amplified greatly with the reading of books like 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' and 'Frankenstein'. In both stories the title character acts on rather rash and selfish impulse, without considering consequence, merely working to please the ego. Looking deeper, both are tales of inhuman cruelty and deplorable scientific practice. It was these two books that set Brian searching for a way to apply that type of selfish cruelty to his primarily visual medium.
The aim became not to recreate works based on fiction, but to create his own vision of cruelty. Modeling himself after the hap-hazard doctors of fiction, by substituting their scientific practice for his artistic practice, Brian has become a fierce and unforgiving editor of art; the antagonist of his own creations.
Brian embraced his current mode of creation through frustration and destructive behavior. These aspects in conjunction with a need to breathe new life into his 'otherwise stagnant' figurative practice led Brian to the actual 'spoiling' of paintings through the obliteration of elements. In doing so Brian began to think about his work's importance within art culture, and question whether or not vandalism is destructive, or procreative.
These ideas were amplified greatly with the reading of books like 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' and 'Frankenstein'. In both stories the title character acts on rather rash and selfish impulse, without considering consequence, merely working to please the ego. Looking deeper, both are tales of inhuman cruelty and deplorable scientific practice. It was these two books that set Brian searching for a way to apply that type of selfish cruelty to his primarily visual medium.
The aim became not to recreate works based on fiction, but to create his own vision of cruelty. Modeling himself after the hap-hazard doctors of fiction, by substituting their scientific practice for his artistic practice, Brian has become a fierce and unforgiving editor of art; the antagonist of his own creations.
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Kour Pour</a>’s celestial installation.</p><p>On display in the Museum Collections Gallery, Kour Pour: Cosmic Diagrams showcases three monumental paintings that explore the kaleidoscopic ways in which different cultures have envisioned the cosmos. Inspired by celestial and terrestrial designs from diverse artistic traditions, and blending elements of Persian carpets, mandalas, and zodiacal charts, these works reveal a shared quest to understand a vast, interconnected cosmic order.</p><p>Displayed alongside objects from the Museum’s Collections that highlight artistic exchanges between Islam and East Asia, this mesmerizing installation bridges East and West Asian traditions. It offers a contemporary perspective on how cultures have been intertwined throughout history to the present age, emphasizing how artistic expression has been — and continues to be — shaped by creation, adaptation, and innovation.</p><p><br></p>" />
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June Clark</a>: Witness is the first survey in Canada of the Toronto-based artist June Clark, who, since the late 1960s, has developed a unique and groundbreaking practice spanning photo-based work, text, collage, installation, and sculptural assemblages. Born in Harlem, New York, Clark immigrated to Canada in 1968 and subsequently made Toronto her home. The questions of identity formation and their connection to our points of origin fuel her practice. In this deeply personal exhibition, she explores how history, memory, and identity—both individual and collective—have established the familial and artistic lineages that shape her work.</p><p>Organized by <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Brian-Donnelly--Obedience---Savagery/"/Organization/The-Power-Plant/AAB89F92B3BD2855">The Power Plant</a>, June Clark: Witness brings together four significant bodies of work that stretch from the 1990s to the present, many of them seen here for the first time. These include her iconic installations Family Secrets, 1992, and Harlem Quilt, 1997, a series of photo-based works from 2004 titled 42 Thursdays in Paris, Perseverance Suite (a new project the artist began in 2021), and Homage, a collection of sculptural assemblages that, in Clark’s words, “gave me permission to be the artist I am today.”</p><p><br></p>" />
