Erin Armstrong | A Glitch in Utopia
Erin Armstrong | A Glitch in Utopia
October 13-29
Opening Reception: Thursday October 13, 6-8 pm - Artist in Attendance
340 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Bau-Xi Gallery is thrilled to present A Glitch in Utopia, a collection of new paintings by Toronto-based artist Erin Armstrong.
In her latest series, Armstrong builds a dream-like world exploring themes of self-reflection, survival and resilience. Her surreal and distorted figures evoke moments of contemplation, touching on the complexities within ourselves and the ways we contort to face challenges both real and imagined.
On her subjects within her works, the artist writes;
"Many figures in the paintings are replicas/twins of each other, representing the halves that make up our whole; the head and the heart, the rational and the anxious mind. We rely on these dualities to hold ourselves up over troubled waters.
Most of the subjects are surrounded by water and beach scenes, they are tense and contemplative as stormy weather is rolling in, signifying the calm before the internal storm. Some are wrangling wild animals as a nod to wrestling our own anxieties. Some are sitting in silence, lost in their own thoughts, as vases and tables crash around them."
Lush environments and brilliantly patterned clothing feature heavily in the artist's foray into a world of both familiarity and curious wonder. Drawing from personal experience, and identifying the collective conscience associated with modern anxieties, the artist carries forth strength gained from being present and looks forward with optimism.
Erin has created work for clients such as Nike, The Drake Hotel, Anthropologie, and General Public Art. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Nylon Magazine, House and Home Magazine, NUVO, Domino, ShopBop, Cultured Mag, Yahoo! News, and others. She is part of countless private collections across the globe.