TORONTO, May 12, 2006 -- Noted Canadian sculptor James Carl is joining York University’s Visual Arts Department from May 15 to 26 as the 2006 L.L. Odette Artist-in-Residence. He will give a free public talk about his work on May 25.
During his visit, Carl will be working with a group of upper-level visual arts students enrolled in an intensive hands-on course in York’s sculpture studio. He will advise them on their projects and oversee their work, while sharing insights into his own artistic practice and philosophy.
Concurrently, Carl will be working on a new project of his own: a series of black serpentine marble carvings that resemble contemporary technological devices, such as stereo sub-woofers and amplifiers. The students will assist him on his project, roughing out the marble, carving and polishing.
“Jams Carl’s project will encourage the students to examine serial production as a method of sculptural process,” said York visual arts professor Brandon Vickerd, coordinator of the residency. “Students will be asked to consider the sculptural object as a collection of forms as opposed to a monolithic structure. Working in wood or stone, they’ll be challenged to formulate their own visual ideas as represented through reproductive labour.”
Carl has a longstanding interest in the memorializing function of sculpture as it transforms commonplace objects and shared social values into durable material form. His arresting works invest mass-produced, functional objects such as take-out food containers, car tires, vending machines and household appliances with a powerful, iconic presence. Engaging both traditional and contemporary artistic methods and materials with a distinctive new vision, he challenges the viewer to look with a fresh eye at the everyday artifacts of consumer culture.
Carl has presented his work in solo and group exhibitions for the past 15 years across Canada and in Austria, China, Germany and the United States. His work is found in many public collections, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada’s Art Metropole Archive and the Canada Council Art Bank, as well as private collections in Canada and abroad.
Carl’s residency and his public lecture are the centerpiece of York’s month-long sculpture intensive. The program also includes informal visits by eight other Toronto-based artists: John Dixon, Anitra Hamilton, Spring Hurlbut, Zeke Moores, Lyla Rye, Roch Smith, Christine Swintak and Carl Tacon.
Carl’s artist-in-residency is made possible through the generous support of Louis L. Odette, the founder of the Toronto Sculpture Garden and a longstanding friend of the Faculty of Fine Arts at York University. This is the fifth year of the L.L. Odette Artist-in-Residency program at York.
What: Public talk by Canadian sculptor James Carl
When: Thurs. May 25 at 11:00 a.m.
Where: 214 Joan & Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts, York University, 4700 Keele St.
Admission: Free
Info: 416-736-5187
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E-images of James Carl and his work available on request.
Media Contact:
Mary-Lou Schagena, Faculty of Fine Arts, York University, 416 736 2100 x 20421 or schagena@yorku.ca
