Monday, December 14, 2009

Bios

Our bios, also a work in progress.
Complete with haikus on your impressions of 'home'
In alphabetical order

Seema Narula
Seema Narula is an emerging artist that has been a part of the artist collective A Collection of Foreign Objects since 2007. She has also been a member of the artist collective Night Shift, and has exhibited her artwork at Shift Gallery, and participated in Nuit Blanche, Alley Jaunt and Square Foot. Seema's previous work has experimented with diffusion of light and space in creating light sculpture installations. Having lived in Japan for a few years, as well as, Toronto, she has recently moved to Hamilton, where she is intrigued by her new physical surroundings of post industrial urban landscapes. With this backdrop as her muse Seema is finding inspiration to experiment with new art forms reflective of her past history, and current space and time. Seema looks forward to exploring her abilities as an artist in creating and transposing her lofty dreams into colour, lights, shapes and sounds.

extension of me
space of foreseen time passing
holds my this and that


Steve Newberry

Steve Newberry is an emerging artist based in Hamilton. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) degree from the University of Guelph. He has traveled extensively and exhibited his work in Canada and Japan. Primarily an installation artist but comfortable working in a variety of media, his work often explores our connection to the natural world.

home is foundation
both literally and not
find me foundation


Aleksandra Rdest
Living in the city but dreaming in the wilderness; Rdest’s work is created out of a longing to be elsewhere. Not out of dissatisfaction with where she is but out of the desire to create a place which does not exist. Rdest’s paintings create spaces in which the viewer can encounter the recesses of their own mind; using a language drawn from natural forms and elements. She facilitates encounters with memories; suggestions and implications without representation or narrative.

Since graduating from OCAD Toronto in 2002 Rdest’s work has been exhibited all across Canada in commercial and public galleries; as well as in the United States and Japan. She has been an active member of A Collection of Foreign Objects since 2004.

In our little boat
When all others have jumped ship
We ride out the storm


Reiko Shimizu
Reiko Shimizu is a Toronto-based visual artist who works in printmaking and mixed media. She is concerned with materiality, particularly materials associated with comfort and nostalgia: fabric, stitching, and paper. Her work often refers to simple everyday objects combined with a decorative aesthetic. She celebrates these everyday things by beautifying them -- challenging our notions of value and beauty.

Shimizu graduated from York University with a BFA in Visual Arts in 2002. She is one of the founding members of the collective A Collection of Foreign Objects and has exhibited work in Toronto, Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan.

Leave the porch light on.
I'm leaving but will come back.
I won't be too late.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

reiko's wasuremonos

I went out on bike by myself the night of Nuit Blanche in search of "losts" and "founds". It was a good exercise to do alone while simultaneously looking at the art work that night. The entire night is all about finding new discoveries that are not ordinarily there. It's artificial and planned which is how the activity felt. The city is different on the night of NB -- it's alive, active and annoying.

Here are some of my photos.

paradise lost


found clothes


lost shoe at dundas and bathurst


scattered thoughts at the eaton centre


lost clothes

self-explanatory

curiosity

corn toss loss


lots of luck

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Steve's Photos - Nuit Blanche

lost umbrella, king st. near zone C


the moon was lost that night. oh wait, i found it on that marquee sign. union station.



this elephant is definitely lost...


i found these leaves, they must have fallen. i started thinking about how leaves get lost, but every year, at the same time, over and over and over...


i love these marks. i think its fascinating that we build these elaborate and carefully planned city pipe systems, and then we go and cover them up with pavement and lose them. then someone has to come along with a can of flourescent spraypaint and find them again.


this man lost his child... oh wait, don't worry... he's replaced it with a doll...


this is a church that is hidden in behind the eaton centre. its only about 20 feet from one of the mall exits. nobody ever notices this church (its lost), because shopping is much more popular than salvation.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Day (post night) Blanche

I started my exploration of Nuit Blanche late. I met up with the masses at Queen and Bay, and worked my way to Liberty Village. Lots of people were lost. But at Liberty Village I managed to find Leiko, by chance, amongst the walking crowds. I took most of my shots the day after Nuit Blanche. I might add some of my night time pictures later.


Found Flight




Don't loose your shirt




5 fingers are without glove



I was once in a sandwich




Found city among trees


Lost in Nuit

Our collective has participated in Toronto's Nuit Blanche in previous years; this year, we weren't actively involved by wanted to use the evening as an exercise in art making. We went out to collect material which we could use to make our work in the future. I couldn't wait to start collaging my photos so here they are.





I will admit I missed many of the installations I really wanted to see that night but, of the ones I did see, Maria Legault's The Apology Project was the most gripping. I used a few quick shots I took there to make my collages. I think they convey lost-ness in a number of ways. What do you think?

A bit about us

We, A Collection of Foreign Objects, are an arts collective which has gone through a number of incarnations since our inception in 2002. We tend to come together to work on projects and exhibition revolving around themes. Our current incarnation includes members Reiko Shimizu, Seema Narula, Steve Newberry and Aleksandra Rdest. Our current project, which will be exhibited next year at the Gendai Gallery, centers around the concept of Wasuremono.

Wasuremono is a Japanese word for lost or forgotten things. It implies an object's potential for being lost before it is lost. You would see signs on the subway in Japan that says something to the effect of "Don't forget your lost items". It is this potential for lost-ness that fascinates us as a group. One person lost is another person's found; so the concept and easily be Anglo-sized to Lost and Found. Down the line we will likely narrow the focus of the concept but for now we are running with this and exploring the possibilities within it. We will be embarking on various art-making activities; stay tuned:)