Three Exhibitions Opening at Sivarulrasa Gallery

Press Release – Sivarulrasa Gallery

The shows run February 9 to March 15, 2024.

Combined Vernissage/Artists Reception: Saturday, February 10, 2pm-4pm

Almonte’s Sivarulrasa Gallery will present three new exhibitions beginning February 9. MARINA RAIKE: RISING SKY will run in Gallery I. This solo exhibition features new paintings by Almonte-based artist Marina Raike, exploring the grace and intelligence of ravens and crows she has observed in her surroundings.

“Ravens and crows are the embodiment of magic and wisdom in many cultures,” she says. “To some, they are bad omens, to others, the bringers of light.”

The paintings incorporate elements of both earth and sky, including minerals such as hematite, pyrite, and mica. Taken together, the works invite the viewer into a magical world where we can contemplate whether we have more in common with these creatures than we realize. As the artist notes, “Like us, they come from the earth and rise to the sky.”

Marina Raike’s studio practice ranges from skulls to abstract works inspired by geology and the natural world. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in 2006. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and internationally, and is held in private collections in Canada, the United States, and Japan.

GAYLE KELLS: EMBEDDED will run in Gallery II. This deeply moving installation by Ottawa-based artist Gayle Kells features paintings, drawings, and sculptural assemblages centred on the dress as a symbol of both beauty and pain. Continuing her exploration of identity and the female body, the artist uses vintage corsets, undergarments, and found objects, embedding them with thousands of pins – straight, sequence, hair, safety, or pearl – to reflect on the female form and the extent to which the body is used as an objectified site.

Gayle Kells completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Ottawa. She has received grants from the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Her work has been exhibited in many group and solo exhibitions and is held in private and public collections including the City of Ottawa’s Fine Art Collection. She has been a member of the Enriched Bread Artists studios in Ottawa for over 25 years.

JANE IRWIN: TALKING WITH VINCENT, a solo exhibition of new works by Toronto-based artist Jane Irwin will run in Gallery III. The works are inspired by the artist’s reading of Vincent Van Gogh’s letters to his brother Theo.

“His honest voice and articulate writing reaches across the years between his time and mine,” she says.

The drawings and paintings showcase views from Jane Irwin’s Toronto neighbourhood, incorporating phrases from Van Gogh’s letters as well as phrases from her own collection of letters, creating a conversation between past and present.

Jane Irwin received her BFA in drawing and painting from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. Her work has been exhibited in Ontario and New Brunswick and she has been awarded grants from the Ontario Arts Council. Her commissioned glass installations can be found at sites in Ontario, Quebec, and New York State. She currently works from her studio in Toronto.

Meet artists Marina Raike, Gayle Kells, and Jane Irwin at the combined Artists Reception on Saturday February 10, 2pm-4pm!

For more information and installation photos, visit our Exhibitions page: https://sivarulrasa.com/exhibitions/.

The Sivarulrasa Gallery is located at 34 Mill St. in Almonte.