_edited.jpg){kind=small}
RICK LEONG
NEMOPHILY
OCTOBER 16 - NOVEMBER 15, 2014
OPENING RECEPTION: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014 6 - 10 PM
Evans Contemporary is pleased to present Nemophily, an exhibition of new paintings by Victoria based artist, Rick Leong.
Leong's oeuvre is filled with the beauty and mystery of nature. Using his own experiences in the physical world as a starting point, Leong utilizes images of flora and fauna - darkened groves and forest floors, magic fungi and drooping, beardy-mosses - lichen, and aviaries, and beasties, both real and imagined. Painting from memory, Leong's embellished work takes us on an other-worldly journey into the forest, to the edge of the lake, into the wet marshes, and further afield to the unexplained mysteries of the natural world.
Drawn from observation, classical Chinese masterworks, and influenced by the historical context of Canadian landscape painting, Leong uses the visual language of the landscape as a means to explore the subjects of psychology, phenomenology and ontology. Leong's images embrace the phenomenon of pareidoia, re-invents the natural world, and take us into the realm of the fantastic.
A third generation Chinese-Canadian, RICK LEONG obtained his MFA from Concordia University in 2007. His thesis work was immediately acquired by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts affirming his emerging practice. In 2008, he was a finalist in the Royal Bank of Canada’s Painting Competition that toured at important venues such as The National Gallery of Canada, the Power Plant, Toronto and the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver. In addition to having participated in many group exhibitions at different Canadian and international venues, Leong was also the subject of important solo shows at Two Rivers Gallery in British Columbia, Anna Leonowens Gallery in Halifax, as well as the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and finally at the McClure Gallery in Montreal. Leong’s work is collected widely across Canada, including the corporate collections of Senvest, Col’Art, the ALDO Group, and the Canada Council Art Bank.
EVANS CONTEMPORARY
Evans Contemporary is dedicated to the presentation of creative projects by national and international contemporary artists. Located in Peterborough, Ontario, the privately owned and funded gallery exhibits work by emerging, established, and unknown artists of all ages, as well as work from the gallery's private collection. Situated on the ground floor of a 1907 Edwardian house, the gallery's aim is to launch unique exhibitions in an intimate, salon style setting and allow artists to present new works and projects that transcend the trends of the commercial visual art market.
EVANS CONTEMPORARY
302 PEARL AVE.
PETERBOROUGH, ON
K9J 5G5
705 874 6932
HOURS: WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY 5PM - 8PM
PAOLO FORTIN - GALLERY COORDINATOR
LAUREN TREGENZA - RESEARCH FELLOW