Brian Deignan, Winter Wonderland #1, Fine Art Print on Baryta 2.5 x 8 inches. Edition of 20, 2011. Courtesy of Gallery 1313
Brian Deignan is a photographer living in Toronto. In his new exhibition, Roadworks, Deignan captures the Canadian landscape from a car window. Having grown up in Montreal and subsequently moving to the United States, Deignan has had his fair share of homes and road trips. This current exhibition is a reflection on how we view the landscape from the most common and contemporary perspective, referring to the fact that most Canadians primarily encounter the landscape from an automobile. His works are characterized by their blurry appearance, while the automobile serves as a framing device and contextualizes the perspective.
With this exhibition Deignan perfectly depicts the hurried nature of traveling by car through the Canadian landscape. While speed is the initial impact, the photographs capture moments that draw the visitor’s attention to small details that might otherwise go unnoticed and unrecognized.
Tara Akitt
*Exhibition information: August 6 – August 17, 2014, Gallery 1313 Cell Gallery, 1313 Queen Street West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sun 1 – 6 p.m.