Saturday 22 July 2017

Say "Hi" To The Sun with Jason McLean

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday July 21, 2017
Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant is pleased to announce our upcoming exhibition; SAY ‘HI’
TO THE SUN, featuring works by Jason McLean and Fiona Smyth.
The drawings of Jason McLean and Fiona Smyth are among the most influential in
Canada. The exhibition “Say ‘ Hi’ to the Sun” brings together their work for the first
time, and seeks to examine the differences and similarities in their practice. They are
known for translating lived experience into the stuff of colour, line, and form as a means
of catharsis, social resistance, and self-critique. Their worlds are written and recorded in
ink, yet they are also visibly entrenched in the rich tradition of cartoon illustration, zines,
and graphic art. On the one hand, McLean’s intricate drawings function as
autobiographical mind-maps that chart and investigate everyday realities ranging from
dinner plans and celebrity encounters to mental illness and economic hardship; on the
other hand, Smyth’s matchless approach utilizes figurative elements and linear narrative
to tell stories from her life and the social order, particularly those involving dystopic or
apocalyptic scenarios.
The artwork of Jason McLean and Fiona Smyth articulate a liminal state somewhere
between good and evil, negative and positive, life and death. “Say ‘Hi’ to the Sun” is a
deliberately whimsical title that speaks to the distinct character of their body of work —
the sun is a symbol of energy and, paradoxically, a dangerous entity hanging in the sky.
It references a fantastical conversation with worlds existing beyond our own, imaginary
dreamscapes steeped in reality but are executed with imagination. What we find are
records of experience and possible futures, little histories of the world in which we
share.
The exhibit will be on display at Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, 20 Ava Rd. Brantford,
Ontario from Thursday July 27 to September 24, 2017.
Gala Reception will be held on Thursday July 27, 2017 at 7 pm. Admission to the
gallery and this event are free. All are welcome.
For more information about this exhibition and event, please call Glenhyrst Art Gallery
at 519-756-5932 or email info@glenhyrst.ca