Mirus Gallery presents Anaglyph Gardens, a solo exhibition by Alexandra Levasseur
Opening reception: Friday January 26, 7-10pm
About the Exhibition:
The inspiration for “Anaglyph Gardens” comes from sculpture gardens created since antiquity. Levasseur is interested in the classical notion of the garden as a place of isolated and circumscribed desire, filled with meditative, philosophical, romantic and poetic possibilities. She also looks at the garden as an organic object in which all the elements that compose it: vegetation, water, sunlight and sculptures are arranged and highlighted with harmony.
The word “anaglyph” was used in Antiquity and referred to an ornament carved in low relief. In photography, it refers to a moving or still picture consisting of two slightly different perspectives of the same subject in contrasting colors that are superimposed on each other, producing a three-dimensional effect when viewed through two correspondingly colored filters.
Influenced by Physics, mythology and the dreamscapes of symbolism, Levasseur’s work includes paintings, ceramics, sculptures and animated films. Her artistic practice is informed by a profound interest in the complex interplay between humans and nature. She uses mythology, scientific discoveries and symbolism to reinterpret certain abstract notions and make them poetic and mysterious.
Levasseurs’s work reflects upon the human need to create utopian worlds where time doesn’t exist; places where to live peacefully, away from the overwhelming chaos that defines human evolution. As a response to the turmoil caused by today’s rapid changes in technology, society and climate, the characters she creates live in close companionship with nature.
Inspired by the myths of ancient times, she models harmonious environments where human beings, fauna and flora exist together, connected and in balance. In that regard, throughout my artworks, the feminine form predominates with its openness and sensitivity toward other life-forms. At the heart of her work is a deep belief in biophilic behaviors as a way to achieve psychological well-being and enhance the mood and the quality of life.
In this context, the use of fired clay in Levasseur’s practice helps her further explore ideas of biophilia by creating organic shapes and textures that increase the viewer’s connectivity to nature. The addition of sculptural ceramic elements to my paintings allows her to play with the relation of the subject vis-à-vis the background. She blurs out the limits of the figures in regard to the space around, confusing the notions of dimensions and time.
About the Artist:
Alexandra Levasseur was born in Shawinigan, Canada, in 1982. After spending ten years in Costa Rica and Spain where she studied art, she now lives and works in Montreal. Influenced by mythological stylization as well as the dreamlike territory of Symbolism, Levasseur’s work includes paintings, ceramic sculptures and animated films.
