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The Ontario Crafts Council Gallery presents:
Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty
May 3 - 31, 2012
Opening Reception Thursday, May 3 from 6 pm - 9 pm
Ontario Crafts Council Gallery
990 Queen Street W.
Toronto ON, M6J 1H1
The Ontario Crafts Council is pleased to present a retrospective exhibition of glass work by Susan Rankin.
Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty includes work that spans over the last twenty years, and displays a varied range of inquiry into form, function, and the role of aesthetic appeal. Rankin’s skill has been applied to epergnes, scroll vases and sculptural works, and while inspiration for these different bodies of work has been clearly drawn from botanical designs, Rankin has also engaged the history of glass itself. She flawlessly combines an in-depth knowledge of technique with an emphasis on the importance of beauty in works of art. According to Cinzia Colella, from the catalogue essay for the exhibition:
“By allowing her work to exist in a space of exchanges between art and the viewer, and between the historical past and present, Susan Rankin has consistently created new ways to express herself and broaden the artistic medium of glass. Rankin has succeeded in striking the ever-elusive balance between concept and skill – the head and the hand – while infusing her pieces with an elegant and timeless beauty”.
As a touring exhibition, Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty had its debut at the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery in 2009, followed by stops at the Art Gallery of Swift Current, the Saskatchewan Craft Council, and the The Eslanade Arts and Heritage Centre.
Rankin was born and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, the daughter of artist Joan Rankin, and studied at Sheridan College's glass program (Ontario) and Pilchuck Glass School (Washington). Her lively vessels wrapped in vines, leaves and flowers have been shown in 30 solo exhibitions and numerous invitational and group exhibitions across North America in many of the most prestigious venues for contemporary glass. Rankin has work included in public collections at the Corning Museum, Claridge Collection, Michel-Pierre Grenier Collection, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Winnipeg Art Gallery, USB Bank (Canada), Department of Foreign Affairs, Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal (Montreal, Quebec), Glazen Huis, Flemish Centre for Contemporary Glass Art (Lommel, Belgium), as well as in many private collections. |
This exhibition is made possible in part by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council’s National and International Touring program.
Images: Top, Large Flower Vase - grey over salmon soft peach lilies (detail). Bottom, Large Flower Vase - gold over purple with purple flowers; Wired form – breath; Untitled; Scroll Vase - blue on blue.
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