Darlene Cole | Prelude
Darlene Cole | Prelude
December 1-22, 2023
1384 Dufferin Street, Toronto
Opening Reception: Saturday December 2, 2-4 pm | Artist in Attendance
This December, Bau-Xi Gallery is delighted to present Prelude, an all-new exhibition by renowned Canadian painter, Darlene Cole.
In her latest for the gallery, Darlene Cole presents a stunning collection of oil paintings evoking her signature ethereal scenes. Often familiar and mysterious all at once, Cole's pieces are imbued with a sense of curiosity, playfulness, and an element of open-ended mystery.
On Prelude, the artist writes, "As in the prelude of a suite, each painting acts as a springboard to what comes next. Figures are surrounded by elements of nature and water, inviting an immersion into the body of work with each gestural moment."
Darlene Cole captures a hazy, haunting world of poetry and wonder. The artist’s distinct oil painting techniques lend a watercolour effect to her subjects without compromising rich colour values and velvety textures. Cole’s canvases—dreamy expanses inhabited by spirited figures—are studies of time and memory. These figures, both human and animal, play a pivotal role, evoking emotional responses in the viewer as Cole navigates between layers of reference and meaning. At once playful and melancholic, Cole’s work draws on themes characteristic of her established painting career: the inherent mystery of old architectural interiors, the power of painterly colour and texture to spark memory, and the exploration of childhood innocence and its loss.
Cole's work is extensively collected across Canada and internationally. Notable public collections include: The Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Tom Thomson Art Gallery, the K.F. Preueter Collection of Canadian Art, Royal Bank of Canada, CIBC, OCAD University, Fairmont Hotels (Toronto, Montreal, Banff), and Manulife Financial.