S P A Z U K (CAN) SMOKING SIGNALS
For the past 15 years, Steven Spazuk has perfected a technique. Using various tools, he intuitively sculpt the plumes of soot left behind in response to the shapes that appear on the canvas. In his latest show, Spazuk continues to push the boundaries of “fumage": using an open candle flame, he leaves a fine depot of carbon black on blank paper to create marks of smoke. Then, using feathers, scrapers and brushes, he sculpts his canvas of soot to render shapes and light. He immerses himself in the humanity of his subjects to create remarkable portraits and he expresses the fragility and precariousness of the species that share our biosphere. His work serves as a powerful reminder of our responsibility to health and life.
Spontaneity and chance are the heart and soul of his creative process. He does not censor. He does not direct. Spazuk opens himself to the experience. This in-the-moment creative practice coupled with the fluidity of the soot, creates a torrent of images, shadows and light. Fuelled by the quest of a perfect shape that has yet to materialize, he concentrate in a meditative act and surrender to capture the immediacy of the moment on canvas.
The human body fascinates him. Bodies in a perpetual metamorphosis are the language with which he express his thoughts on the human condition: emotions, opinions, stories that are born of his uncensored psyche. Spazuk often works piece by piece, collecting a multitude of unique elements that he assembles into mosaics. Entities that, once grouped together, afford a different meaning and provide a new perspective that is both novel and complementary. He sees fragments of things, events, people, as a powerful metaphor of modern life and, even more so, of the way we perceive things through our senses and our minds. His work expresses how every one of us is a constituent fragment of the human community.
Steven Spazuk has participated in exhibitions and performances in Montreal, New York, Milan, Toronto, Berlin, Florence and Norway.
‘SMOKE SIGNALS’, is his secound solo exhibition at NUART GALLER. Opening night, Thursday November 10th, 19:00
