Gathering Fictions: A Dialogue on Painting

At the Varley Art Gallery of Markham

Janet Jones and Michel Daigneault are contemporary painters who question and challenge our understanding of abstraction. Aware of and informed by historical and formal definitions of the genre, they see abstraction as moving beyond specific movements to convey broader meaning today. Both artists look to abstraction as a way to explore different realities, or as modes of perceiving what is true and what is not. Both employ similar methods– layering, patterning, and collage–to assemble their narratives from a diversity of sources. The resulting paintings, however, differ significantly in scale, imagery, and intent. Established artists and peers, Jones and Daigneault intentionally cultivate a collegial relationship that thrives on debate, on creating space for dialogue that permits both different ideas and approaches to art making to flourish.

Anik Glaude, Curator.