Crowded House

A collective group exhibition of Toronto and non Toronto - based artists and Illustrators, curated by artists Andrew McKay and Julia Dickens. Presented by Well and Good.

Posted by mnfsto

on August 19, 2010

Not in the clamour of the crowded street,
Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng,
But in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.
--HW Longfellow

When we first embarked on this project, we had decided to produce a
series of portraiture early on, all of us in some way dealing with the
human form, ranging from highly realistic to the surreal. As
we set to work, it admittedly wasn't until some time later that we
came to the conclusion that through working alone in our studios, we
were building a mass work that would integrate our individual
capacities into a new and complete whole.

Presented here is a collection of portraits from nine artists working
across Canada. The individual faces depicted in the works shown here
as a single collection, are a more or less accurate respresentation of
'the crowd.' As is the case with actual crowds this exhibition may
appear welcoming or hostile, a number of individuals together, or the
teeming throngs of the faceless. The crowd and it's representation
here may attract or repulse the viewer--perhaps both
silmultaneously--leading one to consider what is the individual's role
in, and response to finding one's self in the midst of other
individuals.

Essentially 'Crowded House' is a reapprisal of crowds and the
conception of such. The ways the mass exert force on the indivdual;
the nature of individuality and collectivity; and ultimately,
the ways in which the one exerts a force in directing the collective.

Works by the following artists:

Dietrich Rostek (Montreal/Ottawa)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/captainrosteck/

Kirsten McCrea (Montreal)

http://www.hellokirsten.com/

Andy Borehol (Kitchener/Ottawa)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_borehol/

http://thedissatisfactory.blogspot.com/

Graham Robinson (Toronto/Ottawa)
www.beastwrong.blogspot.com

Ceilidh Stidwill (Toronto/Montreal)

http://ceilidhstidwill.blogspot.com/

Julia Dickens (Toronto/Ottawa)