A REVIEW of
Jasmine Hum's
Furrealism: A Contemporary Re-imagining
April 30 - May 25, 2025
Main Gallery, Cedar Hill Recreation Centre
Jasmine Hum's
Furrealism: A Contemporary Re-imagining
April 30 - May 25, 2025
Main Gallery, Cedar Hill Recreation Centre
Detail:
Pack Race Triptych, Charcoal and conte on paper, 108" x 126"
Artist Jasmine Hum is a visual storyteller with a myriad of skills.
Her remarkable exhibition Furrealism: A Contemporary Re-imagining ended May 25 at the Main Gallery. But her artwork lives on, viewed on this webpage and in future shows and venues around Victoria. She moved from Toronto to Victoria in 2020 and this is her first major show in the area. Furrealism intrigued viewers with a special combination of imagination, conceptual thinking and technical excellence. Hum uses a variety of media and methods including oil on linen and cradled board, encaustic, field note sketches, gouache, charcoal and conte on paper.
Her remarkable exhibition Furrealism: A Contemporary Re-imagining ended May 25 at the Main Gallery. But her artwork lives on, viewed on this webpage and in future shows and venues around Victoria. She moved from Toronto to Victoria in 2020 and this is her first major show in the area. Furrealism intrigued viewers with a special combination of imagination, conceptual thinking and technical excellence. Hum uses a variety of media and methods including oil on linen and cradled board, encaustic, field note sketches, gouache, charcoal and conte on paper.
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3 Details,
Pack Race Triptych, Charcoal and conte on paper, 108" x 126"
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Hum’s impetus to present this body of work was clear: to show how traditional tools and materials can produce authentic artwork in an evolving artificial intelligence (AI) environment. Hum invited guests to contribute their own drawings and comments with art materials supplied. To her delight, their art pieces mushroomed over the course of the exhibition. Her enigmatic invite posits: Collectively, we may help resolve the enigma of The Rabbit Who Wears Others’ Coats. And promote the rarest of movements - Furrealism.
Flâneur Aelfstan,
Oil and Wax on cradled panel, 36" x54*
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Citizen Lapis,
Oil and Wax on cradled panel, 18" × 36"
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Guardian Shootybun,
Victorian Taxidermy, circa 1898
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Reflexion,
Oil, Belgian Linen on cradled birch panel, 20"x16”
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Jasmine Hum is a 2010 graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design University with several awards for her figurative drawing skills. These talents are evident as she presents the mythical animals she researches, using scientific methods including field notes and personal observations. Her studies of Art History are evident in the many references to art movements (often called canons) styles and important figures. She playfully places Furrealism between two well known art historical canons: Fauvism and Surrealism.
Mary J. Peter,
Oil on cradled panel, 9”x12”
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Cannon of Joy,
Oil on canvas, 60" × 48”
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Hum favours the Neoclassical styles of 19th century French painters. This academic tradition employs carefully arranged elements and a subdued palette in compositions that favour the female form. Neoclassical artist William Bouguereau (1825-1905) painted his famous portrait of Gabrielle Cot in 1890. Mary J. Peter is Hum’s copy of the Bouguereau original and shows her award-winning abilities. To paint this remarkable resemblance she used only four colours, known as the Zorn palette.
In contrast, the Canon of Joy displays an exuberant riot of Fauvist colours in a rollicking composition of jet-propelled bunnies and folk-dancing friends. Broad swatches of colour slide across the canvas melding any suggestion of horizon line, sky or earth. “I had such fun painting this,” she says, “the canvas, turned in any direction, remains readable and visually strong.”
Pack Race, the show’s signature piece, shows Hum’s penchant for detailed mark-making using charcoal and conte on paper. The triptych of three vertical panels took up most of one wall of the gallery. Unframed, the panels allowed a viewer to get close and marvel at the flowing patterns that make up the fur and facial features of the animals. “How long did it take you to do this?” I ask, incredulous. “Not too long,” she replies. “They say paint what you know, and I know fur, having two large dogs that I brush often.”
Elora I,
Oil on panel, 8"x 8”
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Narcissus ll,
Oil on cradled birch panel (diptych) 16" × 40”
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Hum’s graduation thesis in 2010 was the genesis of Furrealism, and featured a new creation, the Flâneur Rabbit of Camp H-H (Silvilagus Algonquinus). Using a didactic tone and personal stories, Hum documents her encounters with this elusive hybrid species. The author uses heartfelt language to describe her stirring encounters with “the others” thereby soliciting our attention and trust. Somehow, the child in us is activated by the mysterious imagery and direct text. We long to believe in the impossible.
The artist was surprised by how many people were drawn into believing the stories and asked for more information. “Many people missed the subtle humour of word play, the ironic elements and social commentary couched within the art historical references,” she says. (Hint: search the words Flâneur and Aelfstan). From my encounter with Furrealism, I am reminded that we are complex creatures. The human psyche both craves and creates magic and mystery. Welcome to the world of Furrealism. A step outside the boundaries of AI.
Pack Race Triptych, Charcoal and conte on paper, 108" x 126"
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Field Notes, paint and text on paper.
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Jasmine Hum welcomes your interest and can be reached at [email protected]; visit her website HERE
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Web Design and Content by Kate Cino Arts writer published in Focus on Victoria, Yam and Boulevard. History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from University of Victoria This website and its content is copyright of Art Openings, 2009. All rights reserved. Written permission is required for reproduction of photos or text. [email protected] 250 598-4009 |
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