Sunday, 27 May 2012

Alex McLeod at Galerie Trois Points


When I was invited to Alex McLeod’s solo exhibition at Galerie Trois Points, I was expecting a sculptural installation. To be fair, gallery owners Jean-Michel Bourgeois and Émilie Grandmont-Bérubé had warned me that McLeod’s work was computer-generated. Yet the image on the invitation seemed so real, so... three-dimensional... that I assumed “computer-generated” was just some overused artsy lingo, like “mixed-media,” which has come to describe most art forms.

Alex McLeod, Blood Clouds 3, Digital rendering C-Print, 2011, 40" x 60"

I entered the gallery, faced with McLeod’s hyper-realistic computer-generated photographs. Reminiscent of the 3D optical illusion images that used to torture my eyes and brain as a child, McLeod’s work depicts illusory landscapes which merge abstract forms, curvilinear vegetation and strangely believable sci-fi globules. The overall composition is both chaotic and hypnotic. Despite the artist’s intention to make the images appear as though they were photographed in situ, each composition was entirely created in the digital world. They do not exist in “real life.” In a world where the search for truth is omnipresent, it is refreshing to view an exhibition which blurs the boundaries of our reality.

Alex McLeod, Magic Eye, Digital rendering C-Print, 2011, 40" x 60"

If, for any reason, you remain unconvinced that Alex McLeod is one to watch, know this: a) After graduating from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2007, he exhibited in New York, California, Barcelona, Toronto and Montreal (to name a few) b) Kanye West is a fan (tell me you aren’t impressed) and c) He and I (McLeod that is, not Kanye) share the same birthday. Enough said!

For more information on the artist, contact Galerie Trois Points. The show is on until June 16th, so hurry up!

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