Stephen Waddell & Graham Gillmore

STEPHEN WADDELL June 17 - August 1, 2004 Opening Thursday, June 17 6-8 pm Artist in attendance

The Monte Clark Gallery Toronto is pleased to present a new series of photographs by Stephen Waddell. The photography of the individual has historically centered around portraiture wherein the relationship between subject and camera denies the multifaceted complexity and uniqueness of the sitter. In his practice, Waddell uses a documentary form of portraiture wherein the individual is unknowingly captured and often isolated through the careful composition of the image.

Through the representation of humanity isolated in solitude, the artist has accessed a universal sensibility, extending a photographic tradition that includes Gary Winogrand and Lee Friedlander, for whom capturing the correct point of view at a pivotal moment was essential in conveying a mysterious tension that belied the apparently mundane activity of their subjects.

An intimacy between the artist and subject becomes evident as the confrontation caused by the camera abates. Additionally, the large prints are blown up directly from 35mm, deliberately emphasizing the grain and softening the image, a technique that bespeaks the artist's role as a painter.

Unexpected elements often collide in this body of work, as unique urban perspectives emerge from the colours and textures of contemporary society.

GRAHAM GILLMORE FOLD-INS June 17 - August 1, 2004 Opening Thursday, June 17 6-8 pm

The Monte Clark Gallery is pleased to present Fold-Ins, a new series of works on paper by Graham Gillmore, for the first time in Toronto.

These small-scale works are created from magazine covers that have been cleverly re-folded to subvert traditional linguistic convention. Witty and often rude, they are testament to Gillmore's relationship to language and to his own, nonsensical vernacular.

The Vancouver born, New York based artist continues his style of visual provocation with a series of work that immediately follows a remarkable year of international solo exhibitions, including painting shows at the Monte Clark Galleries in Toronto and Vancouver, conTEMPorary in New York, Linc in San Francisco, KidderSmith in Boston, Galleria OMR in Mexico City and Galleria Cardi in Milan. There have also recently been numerous publications that have focused on Gillmore' s evolving reputation as one of the stars of his generation. In the past six months his work has been spotlighted in Contemporary Magazine (21 artists, 21 positions, 21st century) and has been subject of a profile in Toro Magazine and reviews in The National Post, The Globe and Mail and February's Artforum.

2003 was also the year that The Museum of Modern Art, New York purchased a large-scale work for their permanent collection.

Graham Gillmore lives and works in New York, NY and Winlaw, BC.

Stephen Waddell

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Graham Gillmore: FOLD-INS