centre d'artistes.artist run centre
11/04/08 - 11/05/08
Opening: fri 11/04/08 at 7pm
Artist Talk: sat 10/05/08 at 3pm
Begun more than ten years ago, Corinne Carlson is presenting her work Arizona Topaz / Topaze Brûlée composed of two hundred seventy six framed drawings. The number 276 represents all the possible combinations of two colours from the twenty four colour package of Laurentien, the generic Canadian brand of school pencil. Each drawing consists of a two-colour spiral leading into a central red heart. Entirely covering two of the gallery walls, the work not only surprises by its hypnotic and agitating effects, but also by the careful labour and dedication to accomplish this ambitious endeavour. The drawings are all framed, reminiscent of those used for diploma certificates, and reference the display of accomplishment. At the same time, there is a feverishness to these drawings or - as the artist states - a worry that underlies the process of decision making, creating a visual field of unresolved relationships.
Corinne Carlson is a Canadian artist who is best known for her public installations. Her artwork is made and installed to look like street signs that convey lyrical, filmic, symbolic and spoken word messages. She has produced a drawing series and a collage series both of which have a psychedelic and nostalgic appearance that is supported by conceptual rigor and the inherent associations present in the materials of popular culture. She lives in Toronto and has exhibited in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The artist likes to thank the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, as well as Mrs. Donna J. Carlson and Sanford Brands - A Newell Rubbermaid Company for their support.