Thursday, December 28, 2017

Compression

Mikael Sandblom's  show 'Compression' ran in December 2017 in the Cell Gallery at Gallery 1313 in Toronto. It comprised eight mixed media paintings as well as a collection of architecturally themed photographs.  
Virtual Tour of Compression Show - click here for a larger view.

Mikael Sandblom’s art breaks apart and reforms before our eyes. Patches of water atomize into vertical bands as you approach. Dot patterns resolve into billowing clouds as you step back.

Throughout the surface, fragments of images float into focus and then recede as the eye moves on to other elements. These mixed-media paintings are built in layers. Photos, paint and cutouts float over a reflective aluminum substrate that causes the images to change with the light and the angle of view.
The paintings do not resolve into single images that can be seen all at once. They reflect a world where nothing is solid or permanent. It’s our act of perception that brings elements into being and dissolves them again.

The experience of viewing these paintings could be more widely applied to life. If we can nudge ourselves to question our tacit assumptions and presuppositions about our world, then we make room for wider possibilities.

"East and West" Mixed Media on Aluminum, 20W x 20H inches

"Draw a Bicycle" Mixwd Media on Aluminum, 30W x 20H inches