ARTspace is set to present a new series of paintings by local artist Sam Gunsar.
His exhibition “Elementoj” opens to the public with a free reception on Friday, May 20, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
Born in Turkey, Gunsar emigrated to Canada in the 90s and brought a broad spectrum of influences to enrich his work.
Gunsar’s professional experiences range from the study of medicine to business, but his varied interests are underpinned by a life-long passion and dedication to creativity and making.
In this new body of work titled “Elementoj,” a reference is made to Esperanto, a manufactured language created with the hopes of establishing a single universal way to communicate.
Translated into English as “elements,” Gunsar pursues this nearly forgotten idea as a touchstone and a way to illustrate the cultural search for core beliefs in a world often swept up in an overabundance of information, organizers say.
The artist engages the idea of the elemental in other ways as well.
By simplifying his practice within a language of abstraction, Gunsar turns his focus on visual basics like colour, texture, and an inventive method of applying paint.
His large canvases are filled with up to fifty layers of pigment, gradually building to create complex surfaces suggestive of the elements he has chosen to consider.
ARTspace is located at 165½ King Street West in downtown Chatham and is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
For more information, visit www.tagartspace.com.
