WILLIAM JOEL DAVENPORT

CLAMS ON THE 1/2 SHELL & ROLLER SKATES ROLLER SKATES

 

JANUARY 15 - FEBRUARY 14, 2016

OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016   6 - 10:30 pm

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Evans Contemporary is pleased to present Clams on the 1/2 Shell & Roller Skates Roller Skates, a compilation of paintings, prints, sketchbooks, zines, card games and textiles by William Joel Davenport, co-curated by Gallery Coordinator Paolo Fortin and artist / writer Ann Jaeger.

 

The exhibition is a survey of Davenport's work, which transfigures what the artist terms "graphic material" into digital prints, serigraphs, collaged paintings, jacquard textiles or decks of cards through processes of automata and iteration. A self-taught artist, Davenport seamlessly correlates the popular culture of zines, graphic depictions of sacred artifacts, ethno-mathematics and glitch art, engaging the psychological projections of the viewer, not unlike a Rorschach test.

The artist frequently embraces a stark black and white palette in lieu of colour, methodically mixing drawings, text, digital image manipulation and scanner jams. "Colour can slow me down," says Davenport. The outcome parlays as readily into the materiality of a card game or textile, as into a two-dimensional digital print. 
 
Davenport's self-referencing, recursive style generates sets and subsets of images that suggest narratives. He eschews the conceptual in pursuit of meaning embedded within the purely informational, an examination of "the aspect of perception by which we make patterns and occasionally meaningful potential where it is not necessarily so." Far from feeling detached or inhuman, these works can appear in turn mystical, menacing, humourous, theatrical, romantic, elegant.
 
The result is nothing short of alchemy.

 

 

 

WILLIAM JOEL DAVENPORT

 

William Joel Davenport is an autodidactic artist who is based in Peterborough, Canada. He has exhibited at Artspace and the Art Gallery of Peterborough as well as in selected galleries in Montreal and Toronto.

 

 

EVANS CONTEMPORARY

Evans Contemporary is dedicated to the presentation of creative projects by national and international contemporary artists. Located in Peterborough, Ontario, the gallery is situated on the third floor of a late Victorian building in the heart of the café and arts district. Its mandate is to launch contemporary exhibitions every four to six weeks and offer a unique space for special projects and new endeavours for each exhibiting artist, while allowing artists to present projects that transcend the trends of the commercial visual art market.

Evans Contemporary falls just outside of the entrenched public and private gallery sectors. It is privately owned and operated, and runs as a negative profit exhibition space. Through its generous supporters and patrons, it serves to provide exceptional, contemporary exhibitions to a region underserviced by visual culture. The gallery serves as a rallying point for artists, cultural workers and art lovers of the Kawartha Lakes region. In addition to its physical exhibitions, and openings, Evans Contemporary coordinates online documentation and publications for each exhibition. Operating as an amalgamation of artist-run centre, museum, institute, and private foundation, Evans Contemporary fills a void in the cultural landscape of the region, plays an important role as a leader in the cultural fabric of Peterborough and the Kawartha region and stands as a signifying site of local culture.

 

 

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EVANS CONTEMPORARY

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129 1/2 Hunter St. West
3rd Floor
Peterborough, ON
K9H 2K7

MAILING ADDRESS:

302 Pearl Ave.
Peterborough, ON
K9H 5G5

 

HOURS:

​Saturday 12pm - 6pm.
Viewings can also be made by appointment. Please contact the gallery.

Paolo Fortin - Gallery Coordinator


Phone -705 874 6932

Web - www.evanscontemporary.com
Email - evanscontemporary@gmail.com