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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