nowhere if not here

September 19, 2008 - January 4, 2009
Organized by KW|AG
Co-presented by Macdonald Stewart Art Centre (Guelph)

"…under his gaze the world as it is given to us acquires a sheen of mystery—he reawakens in us a desire to perceive and connect with the world that is latent but seldom engaged." - David Urban

 

Will Gorlitz, Grassfire, 1994, oil on canvas. 97 x 53 cm. Private collection. Image courtesy of the artist.

Will Gorlitz, installation view from the nowhere if not here exhibition on view at KW|AG from Sept. 19, 2008 until Jan. 4, 2009. Image courtesy of the artist and KW|AG. Photo: KJ Bedford.

Spanning a period of nearly twenty years, nowhere if not here presents a comprehensive cross-section of the work of contemporary Canadian artist Will Gorlitz. Through a rigorous painting practice, Gorlitz has examined a range of iconographic subjects. His choice of subjects—as seen in his Road Paintings, Numerals, and Not Everyone series—broadly evoke considerations of place, both within the internal context of the painting but also in terms of geographic, social and theoretical positioning. Curator and writer Peggy Gale has observed "For Will Gorlitz, perception is both visual and physical: image and touch. The technology of handling and representation—form, structure, medium, texture—is always at issue." To examine the practice of Will Gorlitz is to carefully consider the specific purpose of representation, presentation and interpretation in the world of images and image-making. Following this presentation at KW|AG, the exhibition will tour to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (Toronto), Glenbow Museum (Calgary) and Winnipeg Art Gallery. A monograph titled Will Gorlitz: nowhere if not here, with essays by Bruce Ferguson, Peggy Gale, Jeffrey Spalding, and David Urban is being published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press and will be available during the exhibition tour.
 

Will Gorlitz, installation view from the nowhere if not here exhibition on view at KW|AG from Sept. 19, 2008 until Jan. 4, 2009. Image courtesy of the artist and KW|AG. Photo: KJ Bedford.

About Will Gorlitz
Guelph based artist Will Gorlitz was born in Buenos Aires and raised in Winnipeg. He studied at both the University of Manitoba School of Art and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. He is currently a Professor in the Studio Art program of the School of Fine Art and Music at the University of Guelph. Gorlitz's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in exhibitions including the Shanghai Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Power Plant, the National Gallery of Canada and the Sao Paulo Bienal.
 
Read the Akimblog Review of nowhere if not here >

 

This touring exhibition is made possible in part by grants from the Ontario Arts Council's Touring & Collaborations and National & International Touring programs.