January 2014
La Petite Mort Gallery presents
GAZE / A Female Perspective
A Group Exhibition curated by Olivia Johnston
January 3 – February 2, 2014
Vernissage Friday January 3, 2014
Tunes by DJ Lamb-Rabbit
Live Tattooing by Anna Eyler and Nicolas LaPointe
LIST OF PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Shannon Armishaw
Kimberly Edgar
Magida El-Kassis
Treawna Harvey
Shaya Ishaq
Meredith Jay
Olivia Johnston
Gillian King
Danica Olders
Blair Smith
Jennifer Stewart
Artist Statement
The role of the female in society is complex and muddled. Slung between assigned selves, she is often not able to take ownership over her life, her body, or her psyche. The navigation of identity throughout girlhood and into womanhood is a difficult process, affected a great deal by the confused role that society expects her to fill. Indeed, with the arrival of the digital era and widespread use of the Internet, concepts of beauty, sexuality, and femininity seem to be more convoluted than ever for their primarily female audience.
Nevertheless, for the young, female artist, this negotiation of identity can be eased by the practice of art-making, providing a means of exploration and expression throughout the process of coming-of-age. The voices of young female artists provide for a unique set of interpretations about the world, enriching the continuous conversation that comprises human existence.
This exhibition presents the work of 11 female artists under the age of 30, who are from Ottawa or call it home.
BIO:
Olivia Johnston is a photo-based artist working primarily within the medium of film. Graduating from the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa in April of 2011, Olivia concluded an artist residency at SPAO with a solo show at the Red Wall Gallery in March of 2012. Olivia’s series 13 – 18 is currently in the collection of La Petite Mort Gallery in Ottawa, and her photography is owned nationally and internationally. As well as numerous exhibitions, Olivia’s work has appeared in Nuit Blanche Ottawa and Festival X Ottawa. Her work has also been published in SHOTS Magazine and Applied Arts Magazine, among others. Olivia is currently pursuing practices in fine arts and commission portraiture streams. – See more at: http://www.guyberube.com/olivia-johnston/#sthash.DpqcWMWY.dpuf