This cutting edge drawing exhibition brings together a selection of works made since 1998 by 21 Canadian and international artists. In the hands of the drawers presented here, pencils and inks, watercolours, cut-outs and stamps are vehicles through which they express physical or intangible experiences and document the world in both its vastness and minutia. Some mark out psychographic spaces in the city, others describe relationships toward the natural environment, while several suggest shifting dissonances in our connection to both. They index shared cultural references, explore art historical legacies and offer insights into their respective working methods. Using rich patterns and meticulous detail, humour and narrative, personal symbols and extensive research, these artists create works on paper that push the boundaries of the medium, mixing autobiography with illusion and myth with the fantastical, ultimately rendering the mundane extraordinary.
This exhibition is an opportunity to take stock of – and celebrate – some of the National Gallery of Canada’s most recently acquired drawings. It reflects their current initiative to collect new and innovative works on paper. New Lines is curated by Rhiannon Vogl, Curatorial Assistant, Contemporary Art.
The National Gallery of
