Author Description

Featuring the work of six Canadian artists, this publication examines a recurring facet of contemporary artistic production: material excess, accumulation, bravado, asymmetry, and theatricality. The impact of such art is decidedly visual and primeval, with artists creating powerfully immersive environments aimed at enticing, challenging and even unsettling viewers. Three essays discuss ornamentation, hybridity, material sensibilities, transformation and the sublime in contemporary art practice. With works by David Altmejd, Lee Bul, Bharti Kher, Tricia Middleton, Yinka Shonibare MBE, and Sarah Sze. Catalogue accompanying an exhibition organized by the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Alberta, in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art.