Tracy McMenemy presents
Folded Earth at the Fortune Gallery
March 4 - April 9, 2023
Opening Saturday March 4, 2:00 - 5:00
Folded Earth at the Fortune Gallery
March 4 - April 9, 2023
Opening Saturday March 4, 2:00 - 5:00
Tracy McMenemy is an artist/explorer who combines research in the field with an agile imagination. Her multi-disciplinary practice includes photography, installation, painting and sculpture. Visiting her spacious studio at 780 Blanchard is an adventure. Around the walls are samples of previous projects - exhibited in various locations. For example, Hibiscus Thatch whisks you away to the Cayman Islands to savour artmaking among the elements. There, hibiscus flowers are plentiful, and can be sipped, stewed and blended into a potent vermillion plant dye. McMenemy used this dye to create leafy silhouettes from a local palm tree on canvas and cloth.
On another wall, a framed wedding dress made from tattered sail cloth tells a poignant story. The "Bride Ship" Tynemouth sailed into Victoria harbour in 1862. On board were 60 young women who had endured a harrowing journey and faced an uncertain future in the colonies. The Girls are Coming, garnered media attention during an exhibition at Vancouver’s Maritime Museum in 2019.
"I’ve always taken pictures," says the artist in her studio, showing me her vintage Kodak camera. These days she uses an iPhone while exploring wilderness areas around British Columbia. How she manipulates these photos of natural formations is the subject of her upcoming show at Fortune Gallery. These striking images are part of her latest series called Folded Earth. Several Folded Earth prints reside in the Global Affairs Visual Arts Collection. The prints were exhibited in 2022 at the Canadian Pavilion at World Expo in Dubai.
“Each piece is an invitation to behold a unique moment,” says McMenemy. The magnificent images appear to be suspended in a flight of fantasy. In Drift, a bird lifts skyward on iridescent clam shell wings. In Skip, a charred fragment of wood twists and propels itself forward. In Reform, a shapely shell sprouts appendages and a floating headpiece, posing jauntily in space.
Reform emerged from a photo of a forest fire in BC’s interior. The successful placements on a white ground show an evolved handling of negative space.
Reform emerged from a photo of a forest fire in BC’s interior. The successful placements on a white ground show an evolved handling of negative space.
During the pandemic, Tracy and her family spent time camping around BC. She noticed the teenagers appeared more interested in their cell phones than the natural surroundings. She wondered: “Is this our future, to experience nature remotely through devices?” The concept precipitated her own research with an iPad and Apple Pencil. Using an application, she gained the ability to pull or mould her photos of natural forms into a variety of shapes. “I was intrigued and delighted to bring a sculptural element into the visual design,” she says. Using her whole body, the artist employed the gestural movements she’d refined in her painting and drawing practice.
The artist has a BA in Film Studies from Queen’s University and is an experienced script writer. She sees a parallel to the history of film in the Folded Earth series. The images she created using a metal pencil on glass surface are clean and sharp like film images. Film was initially thought to be a cold alternative to live theatre, she explains, until people experienced the revealing intimacy of cinematic performances. “My painting and drawing sensibilities are expressed with ease, unhindered by the surface friction of paper or canvas,” she says.
McMenemy’s recent dance with digital brings up some interesting issues and questions for the artist. In Folded Earth, she sees a juxtaposition between the real and unreal worlds. McMenemy wonders: “If I photograph a tree, then transform the details and place it in a new composition, is it still a tree?” Because she used a digital tool to transform her photo, does it still belong to her? Or is it a hybrid, a co-creation of human sensory input and non-human devices?
The artist observes herself squaring the images, which allows them to be conveniently placed in social media platforms. She questions to what degree our behaviours are now shaped by the demands of on-line communication. In applications like Chatbot, Artificial Intelligence (AI) produces images and text that surpass human speed and acuity. Are we glimpsing a future in which AI seeks copyright for its own images? McMenemy stresses the importance of human sensibilities and humanity governing our collective futures.
Pondering these complexities doesn’t lessen the joy she feels while creating the enigmatic Folded Earth images. The pleasure of generating stunning visual imagery becomes an end in itself. Newly settled in Victoria, the artist is pleased to offer these images as a calling card to local audiences. The brilliant colours and flowing shapes are mounted as archival prints on paper, available in limited editions and a variety of sizes.
Tracy welcomes your interest. Visit her website HERE. Or email [email protected] The photo shows guests at the Opening, on March 4. "The Opening was amazing," says Tracy, "I met some wonderful people and made some professional connections as well." Fortune Gallery, 537 Fisgard Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1R3 Hours are Tuesday to Sunday 12:00-5:00. 250 383-1552 Show continues until April 9, 2023 |
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 the 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 |