Jen Aitken & Caroline Monnet
Architectonic Transmissions
Curated by: ANAÏS CASTRO & DAVID LISS
Mar 9 - May 22, 2021
Jen Aitken, Villiphit, 2019, fibre-reinforced concrete, ceramic inlay, polystyrene foam,steel and stainless steel hardware, 21 x 34 x 22 in. Courtesy of the artist and Georgia Scherman Projects
Arsenal Contemporary Art Toronto is pleased to present Architectonic Transmissions, an exhibition featuring new works by Jen Aitken and Caroline Monnet. These two artists share an interest in ways in which materials and built form transmit knowledge and information, although their epistemological approaches and intentions are vastly different.
Based in Tkaronto / Toronto, Aitken draws from architecture and the urban space to build sculptural forms that challenge our perception and apprehension of objects in space – striking a balance between structural simplicity and formal ambiguity. In her work, processes of understanding and meaning are always shifting, suspended in constant flux. Her work forces the viewer to consider specific location and context in a given space and environment, calling into play the surrounding architecture and the encompassing infrastructure that supports it. The poetics of Aitken’s work lies in the paradox between the prominence of its material qualities, such as mass, tactility, and fabrication process, and the elusiveness of perception and meaning that her sculptures yield.
From Tiohtià:ke / Mooniyang / Montreal, interdisciplinary artist Caroline Monnet is interested in how the patterns and systems inherent in common building materials can function as metaphorical topographies, traces and transmitters of language, culture and history. She makes use of building materials from the housing construction industry that are disconnected from Indigenous traditions and materials. She cuts, places and weaves patterns that at once evoke traditional craft as well as electronic circuits such as bar codes. The refinement of her work belies the commonality of her materials, creating juxtapositions, gaps and slippages between the past and present, between time and culture.
Knowledge exists in the nebulous ether; it is transmitted via language, materials, and through the stories we tell. Often it remains unseen, not easily grasped. Jen Aitken and Caroline Monnet give form to the constant stream of information – giving knowledge a temporary structure to inhabit.
This exhibition is made in collaboration with Georgia Scherman Projects and Blouin Division.