Karin Bubaš
Chromatic Landscapes
February 11 — March 11, 2023
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 11th, 11am — 5pm
For information about available work, info@monteclarkgallery.com.
Monte Clark is pleased to announce an exhibition of new pictures by Karin Bubaš. On view are several large scale photographs from her Studies in Landscape and Wardrobe series, and three-dimensional still life portraits of flower arrangements.
Rooted in the cinematic, Bubaš’ photographs depict a single subject set against dramatic landscapes from a snow coated forest to a dahlia field in full bloom. The stylish attire of the women depicted hint at a wider narrative at play asking the viewer to consider not only what is in the frame, but what lies just outside of our gaze. Far from candid, each scene examines a construction of character and circumstance, exploring tensions between the casual and the posed, the real and the imagined, and the accidental and the fated.
The relationship between subject and environment recall themes central to 19th century Romanticism, characterized by an emphasis on individualism and the idealization of nature, as with paintings by Caspar David Friedrich, depicting contemplative figures against expansive landscapes. Often nature is represented through the emotional qualities attributed to its foreboding elements and sublime beauty. While Bubaš’ pictures are strikingly beautiful, depicting figures with blossoming trees, dahlias, and sunflowers, a sense of eeriness can be felt from the smoke that looms over these scenes. It’s these elements, the smoke in Woman and Sunflowers or the transmission tower in Woman in Rose Garden that anchor us in the present.
Bubaš’ cut-out portraits of flower arrangements reference Édouard Manet’s still lifes of bouquets painted towards the end of his life, perhaps representative of his fragile state but also a celebration of vitality and abundance. Comprised of hand-cut and layered photographs, each picture portrays a convincing depth, casting shadows and revealing aspects of illusion. This work challenges our expectations of the photograph as being a flat surface that visually produces an illusion of depth, and through meticulous layering produces a photographic object.
Bubaš has a forthcoming solo exhibition at the Audain Art Museum this autumn presenting works from her various series from over the years, accompanied by a major publication.
Karin Bubaš lives and works in Vancouver, BC. Since studying at Emily Carr, her work has been exhibited extensively nationally and internationally, at institutions including the Canadian Cultural Centre (Paris), Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver), Audain Museum (Whistler) and The Reach Gallery Museum (Abbotsford). Her work is collected by the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Glenbow Museum, The Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank, and numerous prominent public and private collections.
Viewing Room available Saturday, February 11th, 2023.