News

Canadian photographer Barbara Cole was awarded two Honorable Mentions at this year's International Photography Awards.  The first was Honorable Mention in Moving Images for the winning entry 'Forget-Me-Not Lenticular, from Falling Through Time' (above, left) and the second was Honorable Mention in Fine Art - Other for the winning entry 'Falling Through Time' (above, right).

Barbara Cole was awarded third prize at the International Photography Awards in 2009, and has received several Honorable Mentions in past years.  

Click here to read more about the International Photography Awards. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE WORK BY BARBARA COLE.

Photographer Barbara Cole’s latest series Figure Painting extends, with renewed subtlety, the artist’s long affair with her preferred mediums: water, light and the figure. Like a painter, Cole mixes and layers, blends and builds her compositions into ethereal portraits rich with rhythm and dimension. Inspired by the painting techniques cited in their names, these figures—Alla Prima, Underpainting, and others—are like beautiful ghosts: barely outlined by the dance of light across skin; so near the surface and somehow just out of reach. Cole’s camera lens—a tool which for the artist does not “capture” her created worlds but rather brings them into existence—plucks her ethereal subjects as though from a dream, granting them each a moment of stillness and mystery.

Figure Painting will be on preview at Art Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, October 27-30, 2017

The series will be officially released for Cole's upcoming solo exhibition, which opens November 4th, 2017.  There will be an artist reception from 2-4pm at 350 Dundas St. West. 

VIEW MORE ARTWORK BY BARBARA COLE HERE

Vancouver painter Michelle Nguyen was recently interviewed by Portia Priegert of GalleriesWest for her exhibition "Of Tristia, Forlorn!" at Bau-Xi Vancouver. In the article, Michelle cites the wide-ranging influences on her painting practice: from poetry and digital culture to the writing of 20th century art critic John Berger, and even her personal background as a child of Vietnamese refugees.

"One of her favourite paintings is Apparitions in a Crowd. “I’ve always been interested in the macabre, and as a kid, had an active imagination and always worried about monsters and things. I don't know. I guess in some way they are kind of weird Freudian reflections of my unconscious, or something. I don’t think about it too much, to be honest. People are always asking me these questions and I don’t necessarily know how to answer. There’s a reason you choose painting instead of writing – because I don’t know how to express that in an articulate way in the English language.” - Portia Priegert on Michelle Nguyen

"Of Tristia, Forlorn!" is on view at Bau-Xi Vancouver until September 23. See the full Michelle Nguyen collection here.

Read the article on GalleriesWest

 Joseph Plaskett, Vatheima, Apples & Window, 2006, Oil on Canvas, 39.75 X 24.25 in.

 

Bau-Xi Gallery Vancouver and Toronto are honoured to have the opportunity to share never-before exhibited paintings by Joseph Plaskett in concurrent exhibitions running September 30^th through October 11^th, 2017.

Plaskett is considered one of Canada’s most talented and established artists, and has exhibited with Bau-Xi Gallery since 1973. He was born in 1918 in New Westminster, BC, and studied fine art in Banff, San Francisco, New York, London, and Paris, where he lived for many years. Since the 1940s, Plaskett's work has been featured in over 65 solo and group exhibitions, with paintings in major private, corporate, and  esteemed public collections including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. In 2001, he was awarded The Order of Canada for Excellence in the Field of Visual Art.

Those who knew Plaskett (“Joe” to old and new friends) were enchanted by his charm, and by his delight in the process of discovery each painting offered him.  He painted intimate scenes of everyday life, evident in this collection of work: flowers bought from the market, fruit and gourds neatly arranged or toppling across tables, the interior of a simple kitchen cabinet, or the view outside his Suffolk home window. Each canvas expresses a warm humanity, and reveals the artist’s mastery of light, form, and colour.

A desire to learn and experiment contributed to Plaskett’s longevity as a painter, as it urged him to constantly develop his practice. Speaking about the last show he was able to attend at Bau-Xi, Plaskett reflected on his life and work: “I constantly make new discoveries. This describes the excitement and joy in which I work…My aim is Beauty, or Joy. Enlightenment comes without too much conscious thought. It comes as a surprise. I marvel at having done something that has never been done before.”

Plaskett passed away on September 21 in his home in England at the age of 96, and is remembered as an influential artist in Canadian history. We look forward to sharing this special collection of works newly released from the estate with admirers and collectors.

Please join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday September 30^th, 2-4PM, in both Toronto and Vancouver.

 

SELECTIONS AVAILABLE TO VIEW & ACQUIRE IN VANCOUVER & TORONTO:

 

AVAILABLE IN TORONTO:

Chinese Lanterns-Night, 2006, Oil on Canvas, 31.5 X 38.25 in. $20,500

 

 

Chinese Vase & Fruit, n/d, Oil on Canvas, 23.5 X 17.5 in. $9,500

 

 

Pumpkin, Marrow & Bananas, 2007, Oil on Linen, 23.75 X 18 in. $9,550

 

 

Pumpkin & Marrow (2), 2007, Oil on Canvas, 16.5 X 21.75 in. $8,750

 

 

Green & Purple Cabbage, 2009, Oil on Canvas, 29 X 25.25 in. $14,400

 

 

Clivia 2, Gourds, 2009, Oil on Canvas, 25.5 X 31.25 in. $15,500

 

 

The Shelves (2), 2009, Oil on Canvas, 28.5 X 21 in. $15,500

 

 

AVAILABLE IN VANCOUVER:

Untitled Landscape, 1990, Oil on Canvas, 26 X 47.5 in. $20,550

 

 

Cabbage and Onions (3), 2010, Oil on Canvas, 29.5 X 25.5 in. $14,675

 

 

Untitled Still Life, 2007, Oil on Linen, 36 X 36 in. $21,500

 

 

Vertical Table with Apples (1), 2009, Oil on Canvas, 33.5 X 16 in. $11,300

 

 

  Two Amaryllis, 2014, Oil on Canvas, 31 X 31.5 in. $17,750

 

 

Pots on Octagonal Table (4), 2007, Oil on Canvas, 28.5 X 39 in. $19,900

1) Poetry is a major influence for you, how did it inspire the title ‘Of Tristia, Forlorn!’ and in what ways do the two mediums intersect in your practice?

One of my favourite poems, Rodney Koeneke’s “Tristia” is my inspiration for the title. When asked about its influence, I give the example of the line, “one minute you burn, the next/you’re gelatinous as cold spaghetti.” Koeneke has the ability to seamlessly flit between these two vernaculars, one of extreme intensity and passion, and one of light jovial nonsense. This contrast is the perfect precedent for how I want people to receive my work.

Poetry is something that I learned to love before I started painting, and in those regards, I will say that my love for poetry is greater. Furthermore, I believe the two forms of expression to be quite similar in that they are both obscured forms communicative mark making.

 Michelle Nguyen, Brides, Oil & Pastel on Canvas, 48 x 59 in.

2) How does your identity and personal history inform your work?

Both of my parents are Vietnamese refugees, and as a second generation Canadian, there is this unsettling feeling of inhabiting an ecotone, torn between the clashing of two sets of values and morals. There is this transgenerational transmission of trauma that I don’t quite understand, and this otherness that exists in both the cultures I occupy. I have accepted that I will never fully be able to articulate and understand the weight of these things. Sometimes, my paintings feel like strange Freudian dreams that capture those conflicts of identity.

3) The majority of your paintings are figurative, what sources are your figures drawn from and are there specific narratives, cultures or figures real or fictional, historical or contemporary that guide your work?

I have a great deal of reference photos stocked up on my phone that I am constantly referring to when I compose a painting. It’s like one big Pinterest board. I pull inspiration from a lot of different worlds of lore and theory. At this moment in time, I am really driven by spatial theory as well as Grecian mythology and the Victorian aesthetic. Honestly, it really depends on what I have been reading that week.

4) You’ve mentioned that you’re greatly influenced by artists like Cy Twombly, Cecily Brown, Egon Schiele and Andy Dixon, could you explain the specific ways in which your practice has shifted as a result of your exposure to their work? 

They have all had a hand in defining the way I paint. I can recall each painting I made after learning about their work. Cecily Brown and Egon Schiele have kept figurative painting exciting for me (a subject I previously had venomously opposed). Andy Dixon has done the same but has also introduced me to the use of oil pastel. Cy Twombly, who is ultimately my favourite painter of all time, has shaped my practice the most. There is just so much confidence and vigour present in his mark marking. You can practically feel the vitality from his brushstrokes. His dynamism is something I am constantly trying to emulate.  

Michelle Nguyen, Jelly Jamboree, Oil & Pastel on Canvas, 48.25 x 59 in.

5) Can you explain a little about your process? Do you paint with a sketch or with a composition in mind or is it more spontaneous? How do your canvases evolve into its final form?

I don’t usually do any sketches to prepare. I’ve taken this approach a few times, and it seems more limiting to me than productive. I have a handful of loose and disjointed ideas going in and I feel like I can only figure it out on the canvas itself. It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle or a collage. Additionally, I try to treat my canvas as a palimpsest. If something doesn’t work out mid-way I just paint over it with an understanding that no brushstroke is squandered and that they just add to the intricacies of the painting.

6) What does the body represent in your work and in what ways does the figure or the crowd interact with the viewer?

I am largely interested in aesthetic theory and was mostly painting abstracts up until I read Ways of Seeing by John Berger. I specifically was interested in his essay on the naked versus the nude, and the distribution of power amongst the audience and the subject. I thought it would be fun to attempt to invert this dynamic, so I began to experiment with these images of overwhelming mass crowds and alien bodies.

7) Humour plays a significant role in your work, why is it important to you to inject an element of the absurd and comedic into your paintings?

The elements of play and bricolage are very important to my process, and I want that lightheartedness to come through in my paintings.

 

Michelle Nguyen, Carnivory, Oil & Pastel on Canvas, 56.25 x 41 in., 2017

8) You work primarily in oil paint and oil pastel, which qualities in these mediums draws you to them?

I consider oil to be way more forgiving than most painting mediums. I love the texture of oil paints and its ability to capture the subtle gestures of ones brush. As for oil pastels, I think they just aid in emphasizing my existing illustrative style.

Incredible new beach scenes by Toronto artist Joshua Jensen-Nagle are now available at Bau-Xi Photo, Toronto.  Visit us at 350 Dundas Street West to view in person.  

Click here to see more work by Joshua Jensen-Nagle.

 

 

Bau-Xi is thrilled to announce the latest addition to the gallery roster: Vancouver painter Michelle Nguyen.

Michelle Nguyen’s darkly whimsical paintings explore subjects pertaining to ephemerality and divine myth with humor. Working primarily in oil paint, her canvases, populated by liminal figures inhabiting cavernous shadows, can easily be described as hauntingly intrusive. Nguyen utilizes oil pastel, loose gestural markings and ambient colors to devise illustrative paintings dense with mythology, symbolism and narrative.

Nguyen hails from Toronto and currently resides in Vancouver. She studied Environmental Design and received her undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia in 2016.

The exhibition, "Of Tristia, Forlorn!" will open on September 9th in the Upper Gallery of Bau-Xi Vancouver.

 

VIEW WORK BY MICHELLE NGUYEN

 

Michelle Nguyen in her studio. Image Credit: Claire Saksun

 

1) There is a story about your initial inspiration deriving from a forgotten yellow pages on the curb. How do you continue to derive ideas from found objects and your surroundings?

I am continually collecting old books, un-wanted books, phone books, periodicals, newspapers, mail order catalogs and used envelopes.  There is always something new that appears that will spark an idea.  After I’ve completed a new body of work, I’ll take a break, clean out the studio, and start collecting again.

 

2) When you are considering a book, or some other printed material for a new piece, what formal characteristics factor into your decision?

I prefer to compose most of my images within a square, which is classical in photography. I like symmetry and balance most of the time and often I weight the image from the center.  A circle in a square is a favorite beginning.

 

3) Do you begin sculpting with an idea of how you want the final piece to take form, or is there a different process involved?

Much of the time I don’t begin with a clear idea of how the final image will be.  I like to move the pages around, wet parts of the book, and use different media such as dye and watercolor.  As I manipulate the pages I can start to see what I think will work.

 

Cara Barer, Dreamscape, 2017

 

4) What is the most indispensable item in your studio?

It would be hard to choose only one thing that I consider indispensable. One thing for sure - air conditioning!  My first studio did not have that and living in Houston makes it essential.  If I’m thinking about being hot I can’t think about the work.  Of course I use a computer, but if I didn’t have an excellent print making set up I wouldn’t be able to proof until I’m satisfied with the final image.  For me that is really important.  I have to print at the full size before I can send them off to be printed by a lab.

 

5) Once your sculptures are complete and you have translated them to a print, what becomes of them?

I’ve been saving most of the sculptures after I’m finished.  Some I can’t save because they have fallen apart.  

6) You have an incredible instagram feed that depicts your work, as well as your experiences travelling the world. How do your artistic practice and travel experiences inform each other?

I’ve always liked to travel. I find it inspiring to see new places and different cultures.  For example, India is a visual overload of color, patterns, print and textures.  It is everywhere.  Photographing just those elements led me to create “Namaste.”  

 

7) Certain elements are consistent in your work, such as background colours the use of print materials, and yet each piece you create is completely unique.  How do you adjust your process to give each piece distinct characteristics? What factors do you consider?

Each piece is unique, because each book is a new beginning.  I start fresh every time with a different one.  The quality and properties of the paper can vary a lot.  Age, and the way the book is bound are also factors.  Now that I’m also printing my own images and binding them into book form, the images are truly one of a kind. These hand made books have never been officially published and consist of my own personal photos. I have an almost infinite source of material as long as I keep traveling and photographing.

 

Cara Barer, Kashmir, 2017

 
Cara Barer, Baroque, 2017