NEWS RELEASE
ELORA CENTRE FOR THE ARTS
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A new curated exhibition entitled ‘Quadrant’ opened in the gallery at the Elora Centre for the Arts on Jan. 26 with a reception that drew a huge crowd of people from across Ontario. Featuring the work of four artists – Judy Daley (Halton Hills), Gwendolyn Grey (Toronto), Kate Taylor (Hillsburgh) and Katie Tonetti (Guelph) – the exhibition includes textiles, collage, charcoal & graphite, and mixed media.
This group of artists first came together in 2016 through The Clothing Project, an examination of the language and symbolism of clothing. Eight years later, Quadrant creates new opportunities for them to find common ground in contemporary social issues. Their works are framed undeniably by their vantage point as women artists, but it is a mutable place, impacted by the passage of time and their position in an increasingly fragile world. Whether reflecting on the female form, addressing climate change or domestic violence against women, these works resonate and intersect along personal and gender related lines. From the perspective of social justice and environmental stewardship, through lenses of transformation, aging, the artists consider the structures that define and confine us. Through their works, they propose that power may be conferred through awareness or by the simple act of saying a name.
“We typically consider artmaking as a purely fun activity, something we do for enjoyment, yet the reality is that art is often driven by a desire to communicate difficult ideas and experiences that are impossible to describe using conventional words” states ECFTA curator Sylvia Galbraith. “ This exhibition forces us to acknowledge issues that are uncomfortable at best, yet there is a beauty or whimsy to much of the work that offers hope as well.”
Katie Tonetti’s monumental work ‘Call This What It Is’, includes the names of women and girls who were murdered in Canada during 2020, embroidered on four long linen panels; red threads left dangling interconnect the victims’ names like a network of veins. Gwendolyn Grey’s collages introduce a delicate irony into works that address climate change, with hybridized and mythic-like female forms suggesting that nature will endure. Kate Taylor draws on an intuitive approach for her work, shaping her images organically through manipulation and layering of paint. Archetypal forms emerge; defined by dress or posture, they are open to political and gender specific readings. Judy Daley’s drawings explore the female figure and gesture, and are rooted in self-portraiture, occupying empty and near empty spaces. Hands that reach across the paper in parting or arms raised in alarm, they express a vulnerability she associates with the process of aging.
The exhibition title, Quadrant, refers to an instrument traditionally used for nautical navigation; a fitting metaphor for how art helps us to find our way and our place in the world.
The exhibition runs until March 9, 2025, and is presented in partnership with ImPower Wellness in Elora, as well as with support from Elora–Fergus Tourism, RT04, the Ontario Arts Council and Government of Ontario. Gallery hours are Wednesday - Saturday 10 am – 4 pm and Sunday 12- 4pm.
For more information about the exhibition and the artists, please visit our website at https://eloracentreforthearts.ca/exhibitions/quadrant-group-exhibition/
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