Lecture by Ashley Johnson: Loosening Identity: The Subject in Contemporary Painting
Ashley Johnson, Xenotransplant, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 67 x 172 in.
Saturday, March 28, 2015 / 7 – 9 p.m.
Articsok Gallery
1697 St.Clair West
In addition to Articsok Gallery’s current exhibition, Ispirazione Divino, one of the exhibiting artists, Ashley Johnson, will talk about the themes and symbols of his painting.
“For many viewers some of my paintings present a challenge because they transgress cultural norms and present sexual scenarios that bring to mind aspects like bestiality. Religious and social conditioning has initiated many taboos. Humans see themselves as separate from animals by virtue of consciousness and sentience. They imagine a teleological process leading towards perfection or salvation. Theories of evolution share this myth with faith-based initiatives. My Primal Paintings present bizarre narratives with hybridized animal and human components so as to provoke thought. They are tragicomic, in that they deal with life and death, or existential issues, but with humour.” – Ashley Johnson.
Please RSVP by March 24, 2015 by phone: 416.651.5020 or info@articsokgallery.com
*Featured image: Ashley Johnson, Necroromance, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 37 in., detail