Anthony Burnham is looking at art in a new perspective through an exhibition that opened Nov. 14 at the Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG).
“I want to explore how we could approach paintings in different mediums, and [how] we explore today and make it make sense,” said Burnham, a Montreal-based artist.
Many of Burnham’s works included in the exhibition, “Even Space Does Not Repeat,” aren’t just paintings. He creates sculptures, takes photos of them and then paints them. He said his paintings represent photography not only as documentary, but also as a photographic way of seeing.
Burnham said he uses photography as a tool to reference the history of painting, and to explore his own interest in representation, such as perspective, illusionism and the grid.
“My inspiration comes from the historical sources, mostly from the ‘60s and ‘70s and the sculptures that I made in my studio,” he said.
Burnham’s paintings are inspired by his earlier involvement with sculptures in public and the “ephemeral” interactions that took place in these spaces, he said.
“We can say [Burnham] is a conceptual artist,” said CUAG director Diana Nemiroff. The exhibit was curated by Nemiroff and Naomi Potter and co-produced with the Walter Phillips Gallery.
“His paintings represent a series of moments, from the studio to the exhibition space and back, and they are about illusionism,” Nemiroff said.
The concept of photocopying is prevalent throughout his exhibit — some works even resemble photographs of photocopies.
“Photographs and photocopies are crucial to the process of documenting and archiving that is important aspect of Burnhams’ work,” Nemiroff said.
Burnham’s paintings seem to conjure the question formulated by Jean-François Lyotard: “What to paint?” according to Marie-Ève Charron, an art history professor from the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Charron is writing an essay in the CUAG’s catalogue on Burnham’s works.
Along with “Even Space Does Not Repeat,” the CUAG also launched two other fall exhibitions.
“People Like Us” explores gossip and rumours while “Truly Canadian” looks at the relationship between Inuit Art and national identity. These exhibits will be on display at the CUAG through Jan. 29.
