It wasn't so long ago that 401 Richmond was the centre of the universe for Toronto's art community and a trip to the galleries on Morrow felt like a journey to the ends of the earth. Things have changed a lot in the interim, not the least of which is I now live a stone's throw from Olga and Chris, and the gallery strip that was once Queen West has become increasingly dispersed to the north and further west. A pioneer of this move was Jessica Bradley whose current home well north of Bloor and Lansdowne provided, up until recently, the only reason to even visit this neighbourhood (unless you need body work done on your car).
Jeremy Hof, Reverse Multi Colour 1
Her current exhibition entertains the question of the thingess of painting. Winner of the 2008 RBC Canadian Painting Competition, Jeremy Hof adds a twist to Eric Cameron's accumulated gesso sculptures by layering various colours of thick pigment on canvas (among other things) to build up an undeniably material surface that he then sands down in ovals to reveal concentric rings surrounding a plain white centre. The immediate pleasure in experiencing the work's mass, the contrast of goopy edges and smooth interior, and the bright colours is undeniable, but I'm curious as to how much it holds up after time. I'll have to come back for another visit to see if they still have anything to say to me, or if it's all just a gimmick. After all, once you've described how they're made, there's not much to say other than, "Check this out." The wacky colours don't help matters, lending a psychedelic tone to the work, which I'm actually okay with, but does it transcend the head shop? In addition to a couple off-the-wall sculptures, there is one canvas that upends the game as it faces the wall with only the edges of Hof's process on view, leaving it up to the viewer to imagine what could be found on the other side. There might be something there.
Sally Späth, The Yellow Mountain
The other reason to visit this isolated stretch of industrial buildings is Bradley's new-ish neighbor Katzman Contemporary (formerly Katzman Kamen Gallery of 80 Spadina), who has transformed their garage into a massive white cube with plenty of space for ambitious art of all stripes. (What with Clint Roenisch rumoured to be moving in next door to Daniel Faria, this district is quickly becoming the place to be.) Their current exhibition pairs the real life pair of Nestor Kruger and Sally Späth in what has to be one of the most dualistic combos I've ever seen. Kruger is all head with his algorithmically derived black and white flagstone paintings that encode work songs in a series of verses and choruses. They are essentially impenetrable and line the walls like a series of closed doors – unless, of course, you know the code. Even then it's hard to wrap your head around the artist's willfully cryptic process, which, in the end, evokes curiosity and consternation in equal measures.
Späth, on the other hand, is all body, hand painting with sudden and direct gestures yellow paint on white paper in an attempt to represent a mountain from her memory. I'm told she uses this particular colour because it always contains a trace of poison. While that might trouble her, I'm more disturbed by my inability to focus on the images; the combination of light and colour makes them flicker uncontrollably, leaving one unable to regard the work in any stable fashion. It's a far trippier experience than even Hof's tricks and sticks to my vision even as I head back out into the sun.
Jessica Bradley: http://jessicabradleyinc.com/
Jeremy Hof continues until April 26.
Katzman Contemporary: http://www.katzmancontemporary.com/
Nestor Kruger: The Stonemason continues until April 26.
Sally Späth: The Yellow Mountains continues until April 26.
Terence Dick is a freelance writer living in Toronto. His art criticism has appeared in Canadian Art, BorderCrossings, Prefix Photo, Camera Austria, Fuse, Mix, C Magazine, Azure, and The Globe and Mail. He is the editor of Akimblog. You can follow his quickie reviews and art news announcements on Twitter @TerenceDick.
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Jeremy Hof at Jessica Bradley | Nestor Kruger & Sally Spath at Katzmen Contemporary
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