The Many Faces of Time | Outsiders and Others

"We are excited to present The Many Faces of Time, a group exhibition of seven artists, each
connecting to the concept of time in their own unique way.

The artworks in this exhibition convey multiple facets of time through reflections of both self and
society, aspects of personal experience, and the literal depiction of time passing."

Golya Mirderikvand

"For the purposes of this exhibition, this artist picked a day (February 24, 2024) to paint a patch from the sky every hour, staring at 6:00 am for 15 hours, with the last patch painted at 8:00 pm. This project resulted in 15 mini square sky paintings (2 x 2 inches each). Throughout this day, the artist became much more observant of the cycle of the day and passage of time within a day. The hourly prompt to paint a patch of the sky picked up a rhythm as the day went by and provided restful intervals for breaks. We often are so busy throughout the day that taking breaks and noticing the gradual passage of time within a day is often not fully appreciated. Natural light is the obvious catalyst for the rhythmic change noticed in each painting and marks the passing of time in a day; a natural phenomenon that we need to more carefully observe. "

Golya Mirderikvand

Let’s Observe that Light

Acrylic on canvas

12” x 16” framed

$300 (plus sales tax)

Val Loewen

“Historically, European portraiture has been used to depict and celebrate societal idealism. Portraits show the power, beauty, wealth, class, and other culturally desirable qualities of the subject. The tradition of realism in western portraiture, combined with the typical pose of the subject - usually facing the viewer - suggests an intent to express an individual identity by depicting an easily
recognizable appearance.

I started drawing portraits to navigate the disconnect between the instability I felt and the mask I had to wear to function in the world. For some time I found it difficult to look at myself in the mirror and I would look away whenever I accidentally caught sight of my reflection. I could only see my worst parts, and what I saw seemed ugly and unwelcome.

These portraits are images of people in the act of looking away. They are drawn from an angle that distorts the planes of the face, making the jaw seem too far forward or the nose too big, disrupting the viewers ability to easily identify the subject. They depict the subject without affectation.

My intention in drawing these portraits is to explore the experience of identity within the constructs of societal norms and expectations, and to treat the complexities of self-perception and the passage of time with kindness."

Val Loewen

Cheryl

Graphite and india ink on paper

8” x 7”

Not for sale

Val Loewen

Sarah

Graphite and india ink on paper

8” x 7”

Not for sale

Kate MacDonald

“Do you love this world?
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?
Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?”

- Mary Oliver, Peonies

Kate's work explores recurring themes of redemption, grace, and metamorphosis. Her paintings and digital collages capture surreal scenes, transcending ordinary experience and evolving into magical worlds of the everyday. Against backdrops of nature, beauty coexists with dread, an uneasy alliance charging the work with a humble and sometimes uncomfortable grace. Underlining all of it is the idea of redemption. Will beauty redeem us? Nature? Technology?

Her recent digital collages form a biomythography, illustrating an unseen pendulum that pitches between activity, anxiety and despair. They juxtapose her past with a larger present, while conveying a sense of wonder – and apprehension. In He was carried away, a man is lifted from a seawall, leaving the shell of himself behind, a void hanging in empty space. An owl looks on, dubious. One by one, those bubbles will burst.

Kate MacDonald

He was Carried Away

Digital collage

2400 x 3200 pixels

$100 (plus sales tax) framed

Stefan Moeri

“I am working with encaustic wax from Kama Pigments and R & F on Paper, using clothing Irons for application and modulation.

The Painting “Parting Of The Sea” signifies my connecting spiritually to my higher power. Parting from old ways and finding peace in spirituality. After a long journey in loneliness I have found salvation."

Stefan Moeri

Parting the Sea

Wax on velum

35 cm x 56 cm

$195 (plus sales tax) unframed

$295 (plus sales tax) framed

Hyunjee Lee

"I have been drawing cats for about 10 years, starting in 2007. The cats were a kind of self-portrait, because I had a hurtful relationship with some people, and I would rather be a cat. As the wound healed, I began to draw myself as a person instead of a cat.

SHE is part of a series of works I've been working on since 2023. I got to know a young woman at the time, who often told me about her difficult life; she was brave not hiding her weakness and inferiority. She was a breath of fresh air for me, who, under the weight of my position as a lecturer and psychotherapist, hid my life problems and pain. We gave each other a lot of strength, and as I paint her face, I am gradually discovering the Animus (as Jung called it) in me I had forgotten. This woman is me or her, and the cat sitting on her head symbolizes my past self. The past and present me are combined into a new being called 'SHE'. At first it was a depressed and sad face, but it's slowly turning into a strong and primal face of power."

Hyunjee Lee

SHE

Acrylic on canvas

24” x 18” framed

SOLD

Pari

Iron Embrace

"Is a tactile 3D piece which explores the intersection of the artist’s practice in collecting discarded objects from their DTES community with their lived experiences in addiction recovery.

The artwork centers on a heavy piece of an iron chain, collected from Railtown in DTES. The iron, with its rusted patina, speaks to the process of corrosion. Accompanying the iron piece is a paper silhouette of a body, spray-painted in stark black. This figure, placed beneath the chain, represents a form of collective DTES identity."

Maybe Redemption

Is a visual 3D piece which explores the intersection of the artist’s practice in collecting discarded objects from their DTES community with their lived experiences in addiction recovery.

The artwork centers on a repurposed binder spring, found by the artist in its uniquely distorted form on Powell Street. Viewers are invited to examine and interpret the progression of the spring, from its untouched beginning through to its extended, distorted middle, with its attempt to reclaim the original form at the end. Accompanying the spring is a paper silhouette of a body, spray-painted in stark black. This figure, holding off the spring, represents a form of collective DTES identity.

Pari

Iron Embrace

Mixed media

7” x 4”

Not for sale

Pari

Maybe Redemtion

Mixed media

10” x 2”

Not for sale

Les Sears

Les Sears works in conceptual photography, screen printing and surface design. Eschewing the title of artist, he prefers to think of himself as a documentarian investigating identity, immoderation and consumerism.

Recent and continuing health concerns have caused him to reimagine his work. Current projects include illustrations of cross-Canada road trips, imagining postcards, placemats and stamps. In these meanderings, he finds a topography of place changed through the lens of time – and age. Where he stood then and how he see now are enhanced by perspective, but also a pervasive nostalgia for the markings, signs, and logos that led him there. The works are intimate in scale, creating a personal connection as the viewer is forced to lean in. As Les describes his collection of stamps, “They are designed for the postcards I plan to buy at the truck stop when I’m back on the road to wherever it is that I’m headed.”