23 May Mats Nordstrom’s solo exhibition – Impact Resistance – captures the “Mystery of the Ordinary,”
Mats Nordstrom’s solo exhibition Impact Resistance features photographs and video that reflect philosophical engagement with the passage of time. Three photographic series, 33 bathhuts and a hotdogstand, Remnants, and Swimmers, pivot on moments of emotional vulnerability, exploring their place in human memory. Complemented by abstracted seascapes, these gentle and contemplative works prompt us to meditate on the formative moments that inflect the landscape of our pasts and resonate unexpectedly into our present.
With this solo exhibition, Nordstrom asks:
What remains when the tide pulls out and for how much longer?
What remains a passion?
What has more impact on you than you have resistance?
Nordstrom’s studies in Graphic Art in Stockholm informed his early career and aesthetic as a freelance photographer. Upon moving to New York in 1978 and immersing himself in an art scene invigorated by Andy Warhol, Nordstrom developed a formal visual style of light and balance with which he captured self-portraits, nudes, and architectural spaces. Soon, his work began to investigate signs and symbols, an interest that carried through his move in late 1990s to the city of Toronto, and remains a key element of his new media, sculptural, and photographic practice today.
This engagement with the symbolic value or the unexpected complexity of every day objects is encapsulated in what Nordstrom terms the “Mystery of the Ordinary,” a quality he highlights through careful negotiation of light, shadow, and focus. He applies this philosophy of deep engagement with his subject matter—including objects and Scandinavian landscapes from his childhood—to build a bridge to his past.
Mats Nordstrom – Impact Resistance
On view May 30 – July 21, 2013
Opening Reception with artist present: Thursday May 30, 6 – 9 pm
For press inquiries, please contact Leia Gore (Research & Communications) at 416.603.2626 or by email at [email protected].
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