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John Abrams Swept Away 2 2006 |
John Abrams has been a fixture on the Toronto painting scene since he showed his first figurative canvases in 1983. In this exhibition of recent work curated by the writer R. M. Vaughan, Abrams presents a new series of paintings inspired by film. Drawing from Betty Blue, Contempt, Breathless and Swept Away as sources, Abrams renders film scenarios in sweeping, abstract expressionist-like brushstrokes. In crossing the language of film with the language of painting, he underscores the slippage that occurs when content is transposed from one media into another. The paintings make a fun, hypercoloured ride into sexualized film space, raising questions of aesthetic taste and pop celebrity along the way. Vaughan embraces Abrams’s rough-hewn visual energy, writing that “Abrams is not a subtle painter, nor would we want him to be.” The show complements a Toronto exhibition of other film-based paintings at Paul Petro Contemporary Art from February 7 to March 1. (1280 Main St, Hamilton ON)
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John Abrams Breathless (Cars) 2006 |
