THE ART SHOW: A REVIEW

THE ART SHOW: A REVIEW

by Muhammad Irfan Ali

A BEAUTIFUL PANORAMIC VIEW OF OTTAWA THROUGH THE BACK WALLS OF GALLERY 222.
"SHOW YOUR OWN WORK," THE FLYER DIRECTED. AND SO I DID.
MOST ARTISTS' BOOTHS WERE MODEST BUT STYLISH. STILL, MOST OF THE TALENT WAS ON THE GALLERY FLOOR. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED CARINA NEMEROFF'S ABSTRACT PAINTINGS AND KINETIC SCULPTURES, STEFANOS BANCHORIS' INGENIOUS SHADOWS AND RANDOM FLASH DRAWINGS, JOAN ROOT'S PAINTINGS OF BUGS, LORRAINE CLEMENT'S ARTWORK OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS, AND EMMA FINN, NANCY KWAN AND RHONDA GAVYN’S STUNNING WATERCOLOURS OF BANFF AND THE CANADIAN ROCKIES.
ON THE WALL GALLERY, HANS MARTEN'S PHOTOGRAPHS WERE ALMOST AS SPECTACULAR AS HIS PAINTINGS.
PHOTOS WERE ALSO A HUGE HIT WITH THE PUBLIC. AFTER CHATTING WITH GALLERY OWNER NANCY KWAN, I COULDN'T WAIT TO SEE SOME OF GUY MAJEWSKI'S RECENT PAINTINGS, SO I HEADED FOR THE BACK OF THE GALLERY FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DOZENS OF PHOTOS IN HIS OTTAWA ROOM. PHOTOS LIKE THIS, TAKEN DURING HIS RECENT TRIPS TO ICELAND, TRINIDAD, NEW ORLEANS AND CUBA, EVOKE THE COLOURS AND LANDSCAPES OF THOSE PLACES IN WAYS THAT ARE ALMOST PALPABLE.
THE BEST PART ABOUT SHOWING A SHOW OF WORK BY A SINGLE ARTIST, RATHER THAN MANY AT A VENUE LIKE RE-INTÉRIEUR, IS THAT EVERY ITEM IN THE SHOW IS A WORK OF ART IN ITS OWN RIGHT. THERE ARE NO ENDS TO THE CREATIVITY OF THE GALLERY STAFF, AND IT SHOWS. IN THIS INSTANCE, MORE IS NOT NECESSARILY MORE.
CELLAR IS ON DISPLAY UNTIL JANUARY 14, 2018.
OPENING THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30 AT 6 P.M.