TWO EXHIBITIONS opening at Sivarulrasa Gallery

TWO EXHIBITIONS opening at Sivarulrasa Gallery

MICHAEL PITTMAN: THE HINTERLANDS, April 5 to May 10, 2024.
MARY PFAFF: RIVER OF DREAMS, April 5 to May 10, 2024.
Combined Vernissage/Artists Reception: Saturday April 6, 2pm-4pm.

Sivarulrasa Gallery will present two new exhibitions beginning April 5. MICHAEL PITTMAN: THE HINTERLANDS will run in Galleries I and II. Born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Michael Pittman’s work examines elements of Newfoundland and Labrador’s history, vernacular cultures, and folklore through a contemporary lens.

The show title “Hinterlands” references the periphery of what is understood and inhabited, both in terms of physical landscape and human psychology. Michael Pittman’s paintings are multi-faceted and multi-layered, presenting isolated landscapes, abandoned buildings, ghostly figures, and fragmented realities. The works explore themes of grief, trauma, hardship, resilience, and survival. “The onset of crises can pry open a psychological void into which familiar things may fall and lose meaning”, he says.

Michael Pittman holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Memorial University, and a practice-led research Masters degree on the visual culture of Newfoundland and Labrador from the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland. His works are held in many private and public collections, including The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, the City of St. John’s, the Waterford Institute of Technology, and Memorial University. He currently resides in Central Newfoundland.

The artist gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.

MARY PFAFF: RIVER OF DREAMS will run in Gallery III. This exhibition features a new series of paintings and assemblages by Almonte-based artist Mary Pfaff inspired by the natural ebb and flow of a river.

Mary Pfaff’s nonrepresentational works have an atmospheric, lyrical quality, evocative of themes in nature and her personal life. Her aesthetic is inspired in part by the Japanese notion of wabi-sabi, where beauty is seen in imperfection and impermanence. The passage of time, fragility, and the interplay of light and darkness are all recognized and honoured in her work. The assemblages in this exhibition have been created by the artist from found objects she collected over the years, with persistent experimentation and creative play. “The transient cycle of nature, life, and seasons is very much a part of all my work”, she says. “They essentially create narratives of both personal and communal experiences.”

Mary Pfaff earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (with distinction) from the University of Ottawa in 1990. Her works have been exhibited over the past three decades in solo and group shows in Canada, the United States, and New Zealand. Her paintings are held in the public collections of the University of Ottawa and the City of Ottawa, as well as private collections in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. She currently works from her studio in Almonte, Ontario.

Meet artists Michael Pittman and Mary Pfaff at the combined Artists Reception on Saturday April 6, 2pm-4pm!

For more information and installation photos, visit our Exhibitions page:

http://sivarulrasa.com/exhibitions/

SIVARULRASA GALLERY
34 Mill St, Almonte ON
info@sivarulrasa.com
sivarulrasa.com
613-256-8033