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Articles by Katherine Ylitalo
Bookmark - Cellophane Bricks: A Life in Visual Culture
Cellophane Bricks, A Life in Visual Arts delivers a long overdue refresh to art writing. “A book of short stories arrives in your hands as a box full of stuff,” writes Jonathan Lethem. Lethem is celebrated as a genre-bending writer for his novels (Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude among them), novellas, short stories, essays, and a Marvel Comics series, but Cellophane Bricks is the first collection of his art writing, an ongoing exploration that spans over two decades.
Bookmark - Geoffrey James, Canadian Photographs
Spoiler alert: This book closes with a conversation between photographer, Geoffrey James, and former Chief Curator of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art, Peter Galassi who concludes, “Canadian Photographs does not pull its punches, but neither does it settle for easy judgements.
Jack Bush Paintings: A Catalogue Raisonné
The four-volume compendium of all the known paintings by renowned Canadian colourist Jack Bush (1909-1977) was released in fall 2024 after more than 12 years of research and preparation. Jack Bush Paintings: A Catalogue Raisonné by Sarah Stanners is superb. It’s a comprehensive documentation spanning six decades in the career of one of Canada’s most internationally acclaimed modern artists of the twentieth century.
15 Notable Art Books of 2024
As I gather my favourite additions to the bookshelf this year, I’m reminded of Umberto Eco’s quote, “Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity." This year’s round-up corrals more than a dozen excellent books, some aimed at a wide audience and some of special interest. As Eco suggests, I can return to each in the way I return to the kitchen, to seek various kinds of nutrition.
Bookmark | Subject to Change by Liz Magor
Series: Text/Context: Writings by Canadian Artists An artist book? A treasury of texts by one of Canada’s preeminent contemporary artists? Subject to Change: Writings and Interviews by Liz Magor resists categorization.
Bookmark | Michael Smith: Sea of Change
British-born and Montreal-based painter Michael Smith, known for his large, impasto canvases, works in series with underlying powerful themes. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery recently opened the exhibition Michael Smith: Sea of Change. Its focus is the series of the same name and how it grew out of a 2018 residency at the Bruno Bobak Artist-in-Residence Studio, but the book that accompanies the exhibition has much broader scope.
Bookmark: Bead Talk and Radical Stitch
Bead Talk, Indigenous Knowledge and Aesthetics from the Flatlands, is a small (8 ½" x 6"), but power-packed collection of interviews, stories and philosophical explorations. Katherine Boyer, Judy Anderson and Carmen Robertson edited the book, giving voice to a range of people involved in beading communities on the prairies: knowledgeable “aunties,” emerging artists, craft council members, academics, and curators.
Bookmark: Edward Burtynsky's Extraction/Abstraction
“If you are going to have only one Burtynsky book, this is the one.” Upon this recommendation from a knowledgeable friend, I dove into the latest book on the work of world-renowned Canadian photographer, Edward Burtynsky. The new take on his 45-year career accompanies the exhibition Edward Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction at the Saatchi Gallery, which was shown Feb. 14 to May 6, 2024, in London, and will travel to Italy later this summer.
Art Books 2023
Complicated histories, multiple voices. Many of this year’s notable books are tied to exhibitions. Thanks goes to curators in public museums and galleries across the country for their work in the creation of remarkable exhibitions, both large and small, and the publishers who have produced the companion catalogues and books.
Bill Rodgers
Bill Rodgers calls his exhibition at Norberg Hall in Calgary a “manageable introduction” to a larger project he began after a 2019 visit to the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. On view until Aug. 26, Galaxy after Giotto: “The Lost 93” features the Calgary artist’s sculpture, work on paper and a multitude of gold stars painted on blue discs. Collectively, they point to an expansive narrative.
Attila Richard Lukacs
In 2021, during one of Calgary’s dramatic thunderstorms, Attila Richard Lukacs took a break from painting outdoors in his mother’s garden to write. The tender text he lettered down the right side of OCTOBER, Autumn is like the charged stillness between lightning and thunder, an echo of the psychological pause we feel between holding on and letting go. The painting itself depicts a quiet moment of repose.
An Astonishment of Flowers
From the public space of the sidewalk, it’s unsettling to peer into the private space of Yvonne Kustec’s installation, The Garden, a blush-coloured tableau vivant where a life-size ceramic female figure is on permanent pause in a what seems like an intensely personal moment.
Work of Art: FISH by Christian Moeller
This art installation in the new Central Library was created with 11,000 books in 12 colours. Curated by Katherine Ylitalo January 09, 2019 PHOTOGRAPH BY ALANA WILLERTON Title: FISH, 2018 Artist: Christian Moeller Medium: Cloth-covered books, shelves. Size: Approximately three metres by 14 m. Location: New Central Library, 3rd level, 800 3 St. S.E. The giant eye of a super-size goldfish swimming up against the glass of its aquarium appears to follow you, as gazes do in some Renaissance portraits.
Best of 2018: 12 Works of Art in Calgary
On the back page of Avenue, we feature a work of art in Calgary that is interesting, sometimes surprising and always available for the public to see. This is the art from 2018. It's a small fraction of the great art all around us.
Work of Art: Winter Garden Chandeliers by Dale Chihuly
Work of Art: Winter Garden Chandeliers by Dale Chihuly These three chandeliers are part of a public interior garden in Jamieson Place. Curated by Katherine Ylitalo December 05, 2018 Photograph courtesy of Gibbs Gage Architects Title: Winter Garden Chandeliers, 2009 Artist: Dale Chihuly Medium: Glass Size: Chandelier 1 (north), 94-by-82-by-82 inches; Chandelier 2 (middle), 127-by-80-by-78 inches; Chandelier 3 (south), 84-by-60-by-64 inches. Location: Plus-15 level, Jamieson Place, 308 4 Ave.
Work of Art: The Fold by Adad Hannah
Work of Art: The Fold by Adad Hannah These 130-foot-long pleated walls were welded in a sequence of folds. Curated by Katherine Ylitalo November 16, 2018 Photograph courtesy of Brad Hays Title: The Fold, 2016 Artist: Adad Hannah Medium: Weatherizing steel. Size: 12.8-feet high by 130-feet long by 5.6-feet wide (measurements include the span of the gap).
Work of Art: one and the same by Suzanne Morrissette
Title: one and the same, 2016 Artist: Suzanne Morrissette Medium: Interactive installation with video and audio using MAX MSP software and Kinect hardware. (Kyle Duffield served as lead developer and technical consultant). Location: Stride Gallery, 1006 Macleod Tr. S.E., on display until Nov. 9 as part of touring exhibition wnoondwaamin | we hear them (Autumn Chacon, Jeneen Frei Njootli, Melissa General and Suzanne Morrissette, artists; Cheryl L’Hirondelle, project mentor; Lisa Myers, curator).
Work of Art: Little Moses (Part Two) by Geoffrey Hunter
Title: Little Moses (Part Two), 2007 Artist: Geoffrey Hunter Medium: Oil and acrylic on canvas. Size: 137.2 centimetres by 122.1 cm by 4.4 cm. Location: First balcony walkway, Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 1415 14 Ave. N.W. Note: Other paintings from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Collection at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium include Dry Bones (second balcony lobby) and Blue Garden (first balcony walkway).
The Story Behind the Artwork at Teatro
Teatro takes pride in sourcing the best local ingredients. Consider the artworks as ingredients in the restaurant experience. They contribute to the environment of opulence, in the spirit of gesamtkunstwerk, the architectural concept of all-embracing art form. Grand space, fine art, good service and excellent cuisine all work together.
Glacial Pace
How does time sound? Or data take form? These questions are posed with the debut of Brookfield Place, a 56-storey office tower in Calgary, and its two fascinating information-based art commissions. One is an outdoor sound and light installation, Herald / Harbinger, by Ben Rubin and Jer Thorp. The other takes the form of a gridded interior wall sculpture, The Forest and The Trees, by Micah Lexier. Both works are interesting in their own right.
Work of Art: Spire by Charles R. (Bob) Boyce
Note: This work was commissioned by the Government of Canada with construction by Viking Steel. Other local works by Boyce include The Bridge (1980), currently at the Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre (KOAC) in Springbank and The Archimedian (c. 1990) at 909 11 Ave.
Work of Art: To keep the promise
Title: To keep the promise, 2016 Note: Tatar Art Projects commissioned this work on behalf of the Marriott with the assistance of Jarvis Hall Gallery, which represents Tyler Los-Jones. The printing was done by Resolve Photographic Services, mounting by Pro-Lam and the aluminum cradle was created by Big Print Sign Company.
Work of Art: The Water Spiral by Michelena Bamford and Lane Shordee
Size: 12-feet high by 12-feet in diameter (above ground); eight-feet deep (underground). Note: This project received support from the Wildwood Community Association and Calgary Economic Development, in partnership with the Calgary Foundation, through their Soul of the City Neighbour Grants, as well as individual donations and sweat equity from community volunteers.
Work of Art: Mythopoet by Bee Kingdom
Bright and colourful, this perky glass sculpture from the City of Calgary’s public art collection is installed in the Calgary Foundation’s light-filled reception area. Three elements are stacked: a head-like base, a central rocket-bomb and a spruce tree. The forms are fluid — even a little wonky — revealing the enjoyment the artists take in working with molten glass and their particular, playful aesthetic.
Work of Art: Untitled, [Home Fire] by Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal
Title: Untitled [Home Fire] Artist: Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal Medium: Stones. (Cardinal acknowledges Soloman Chiniquay and Neil Fleming for their help in building the formations.) Size: Approximately 60 feet in diameter.
Work of Art: Lake O’Hara by Blake Chorley
Title: Lake O’Hara, 2016 Artist: Blake Chorley Medium: multi-layer ambrotype (photograph on glass) Size: 24 inches by 20 inches Location: Part of Exposure Photography Festival 2018, exposurephotofestival.com Notes: Blake Chorley is represented locally by Christine Klassen Gallery.
Mark Dicey: Making His Mark
Calgary artist Mark Dicey has brought both dedication and infectious energy to a wide range of creative interests over the last 35 years, earning his stripes as an artist’s artist. In 2002, he was awarded both the Alumni Award of Excellence by the Alberta College of Art and Design and The Order of Black Belt in Thinking, the latter perhaps the more coveted honour.
Work of Art: Site 9 by M.N. Hutchinson
Title: Site 9, 2017, based on the series, Location Photographs for the Pre-History of MN Hutchinson, 2006-2009 Artist: M.N. Hutchinson Medium: Foil-backed vinyl of digital print on concrete wall, printed and installed by Anvy Digital. Size: 28 feet in diameter. Location: 2044 33 Ave. S.W. Notes: Commissioned through Paul Kuhn Gallery for the Odeon Building. A giant circular photographic mural by M.N. Hutchinson sits high on the dark wall of the Odeon Building in Marda Loop.
12 Works of Art We Loved in 2017
Title: Nature’s Playground, 2016 Medium: Vinyl on aluminium and MDF, enamel on aluminium, glass, sensors, robotics. Size: Three island landscapes, each approximately 36 feet tall and 14 feet in diameter. Location: International Departures Level, International Terminal, YYC Calgary International Airport. Commissioned by the Calgary Airport Authority as part of the thematic art program Rhythms of the Landscape.
Work of Art: Imaginarium by Katie Green and daniel j. kirk
Title: Imaginarium, 2017 Artist: Katie Green and daniel j. kirk Media: Acrylic on digital print (paper), acrylic on polystyrene and plaster, wire mesh, fabric, aluminium tubing, light bulbs and reclaimed material from King Edward School. Size: Four-storey stairwell installation with eight sections of varying sizes. Location: cSPACE King Edward, 1721 29 Ave. S.W. Notes: This public art project was awarded to Katie Green and daniel j.
Work of Art: Concrete Murals (Untitled) by Robert Oldrich
Concrete Murals (Untitled). By Robert Oldrich (1920 to 1983). Made with cast concrete. The left panel is 154 inches-by-92 inches-by-six inches, the central panel is 244.5 inches-by-92 inches-by-six inches and the right panel is 244.5 inches-by-91.5 inches-by-six inches. Find the piece at The Glenbow, southern exterior facade, 130 9 Ave. S.E. Commissioned by Mr. Allan Hammond, executive vice-president of the Glenbow-Alberta Institute. Installed in 1975.
Work of Art: Emperor With No Clothes by Rosanna Marmont
A classic cowboy on horseback gazes directly at you while a young girl, perched on the top rung of a ladder, holds his hat above his head. Her simple gesture is the focal point of this painting. Her pose emphasizes the awkward grace of a prepubescent girl: long-limbed, barefoot, pigtailed. She is in shadow; a sliver of light delineates one leg; a blush falls on the folds of her dress and one shoulder. She is coming into the light, on the verge of womanhood.
Work of Art: The Heart's Prayer by Chelsea Rushton
Chelsea Rushton’s delicate painting reveals a narrative that reads from left to right. A dark energy, perhaps grief, loss, confusion, pierces a rosy heart infused with a fine network of gold veins. It emerges as an emotional bubble, a void teeming with gold and iridescent purple particles that reach a tiny half moon and then find their way into the light. Rushton gains inspiration for her images through meditation. She draws and paints with a light touch while the vision is fresh.
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