Aron Hill
Aron Hill currently lives and works in Calgary, Alberta. He graduated from Alberta College of Art and Design in 2000 with a BFA in Interdisciplinary studies. He then completed his MFA at Goldsmiths College, University of London. His work there evolved into installation based projects using traditional drawing and painting methods alongside formal sculptural elements, large format photography and text based work. He has recently been focused on formalist paintings that recall aspects of minimalism and color field paintings though with references to the figure throughout. He finds conceptual company in the late Modernist paintings produced particularly in Canada. The choice of a restricted medium, acrylic ink washes on prepared raw canvas, forces restraint. The work's graphic nature relies on the sheer flatness this medium produces. Aron has exhibited internationally, occasionally lectures, and writes.
Aron Hill
Aron Hill currently lives and works in Calgary, Alberta. He graduated from Alberta College of Art and Design in 2000 with a BFA in Interdisciplinary studies. He then completed his MFA at Goldsmiths College, University of London. His work there evolved into installation based projects using traditional drawing and painting methods alongside formal sculptural elements, large format photography and text based work. He has recently been focused on formalist paintings that recall aspects of minimalism and color field paintings though with references to the figure throughout. He finds conceptual company in the late Modernist paintings produced particularly in Canada. The choice of a restricted medium, acrylic ink washes on prepared raw canvas, forces restraint. The work's graphic nature relies on the sheer flatness this medium produces. Aron has exhibited internationally, occasionally lectures, and writes.
Viewing Room
Mohammad Abbasi
November 23 | 2024 to January 18 |2025
We are pleased to present our first exhibition with Tehran-born, Edmonton-based, Mohammad Abbasi. Mohammad is an exciting new artist who blends conceptualizations of the diaspora experience with luscious, painterly abstraction. “The third space” is a phrase introduced by Homi K. Bhabha in his book "The Location of Culture", which speaks about the dynamic identity of the diaspora and resonates with the themes explored in this exhibition. The concept of home, for many, symbolizes security and a sense of belonging, encompassing a broad and borderless definition or an architectural structure defined by physical and cultural walls. In this exhibition, Abbasi delves into the exploration of these borders, seeking a quintessential structure that aligns with his conceptualization.
Pictorial space, where his structures come to life, allows for more mystery and illusion, a fluid realm where distortions find expression. These distortions, unique to each individual and group, are shaped by cultural and geographical migrations, as well as the impacts of globalization and the technological revolution.
Mohammad’s painting approach allows non-linguistic thinking to take precedence, with visual images and plans initiating the creative process rather than written ideas. Each collection features simple objects or images, such as houses, boats, or cubic shapes, serving as starting points influenced by his experiences as a Middle Eastern diaspora immigrant.
Mohammad Abbasi was born in Tehran, Iran and holds a Bachelor of Science in Surveying Engineering from the Zanjan University (Iran), a Master’s Degree in Painting from Tehran Azad University (Iran) and a Masters of Fine Art Degree from the University of Alberta in Edmonton where he now lives and teaches.
