From Montreal to Ottawa, Andrew Moncrief seems to draw a crowd wherever he goes.
The recent Concordia graduate held the private viewing for his first solo exhibition at La Petite Mort Gallery March 7.
The room was brimming with chatty people, cheese trays, and finger foods. The gallery also offered drinks to its visitors.
Moncrief seemed to be in awe of the turn out. He said it really encouraged him to continue and gave him a boost of confidence. He described the event as “overwhelming” and “amazing.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better first solo exhibition,” he said.
The paintings on display could be classified as semi-abstract but tending towards realism. His work featured an almost morbid and grotesque beauty.
But this was intentional.
His paintings referenced the medical archives found in the Concordia library on the subject of facial deformities, Moncrief said. The artist said he was seeking to manifest the inner insecurities of his male subjects into physical form.
“I was always interested in projecting my own insecurities,” Moncrief said.
He also said inspiration does not simply come to an artist. He described the artistic process as sometimes long and agonizing. He also referenced a quote by the American painter Chuck Close—“inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.”
According to Daily Xtra, Moncrief’s new collection was his method of coping with his recent break up. However, Moncrief said the break up simply increased his pace.
“The break up mainly fueled me to accelerate my work. Kind of like a catalyst,” he said.
Having recently graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University, Moncrief kept his professors’ advice in mind.
“I didn’t want anything to be too explicit. It was a critique that I often got in university. I wanted to make something more implicit,” he said.
According to his website, the artist’s unique style involves the use of his entire body when painting. Moncrief describes his method as somewhat “violent” and above all, not easy.
“There’s so much commercial art that you see all the time. It’s easy. I don’t want my art to be something easy. It has to keep people captivated. I want my art to attract people but sort of repulse them at the same time,” he said.
And whether Moncrief’s paintings repulse or intrigue their audience, the artist will get what he is looking for—a reaction.
La Petite Mort Gallery will be showcasing and selling the paintings. The exhibition runs March 7 to March 29.
