During the month of November Grey Gallery is hosting exhibitions by two local artists, each of which is a direct response to the world we now find ourselves inhabiting. Lydia Knox’s exhibition of oil paintings is entitled Angels of Covid, and Diana Griffith’s series of portrait drawings is entitled My Voice, Their Stories.
Lydia Knox is an established artist who tackles social issues through the use of allegory and symbolism in her series of large paintings (3 ft by 6 ft) of the four Archangels (Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel). Her contemporary take on the subject is evident in her choice of models, as she has based each portrait on someone she knows personally. The Archangel Gabriel is the Voice, known as the messenger and herald of visions, who offers us the rainbow of hope through acceptance and understanding. He is represented by Michael MacKid, who is gender fluid and has experienced homophobia and exclusion, but walks with grace, courage and compassion. Archangel Michael, the Protector, guides us through tough times and offers protection and help during crisis. The model here is Gregory Brent Courtney, the first black police officer working for the Waterloo Regional Police, who has always tried to make the world a better place. Raphael, the archangel of Healing, works to heal the mind, spirit, and body of those who require it. The model is a PSW, Bastian Cassidy-Feddern, who works tirelessly in a seniors’ health care centre. Uriel is the archangel of Light, holding the divine flame and a book, symbols of light and wisdom. The model is local artist Patti Waterfield. She has the power to gaze into the heart of a situation fearlessly and see the truth. These Angels represent the four compass points, and guide us like a star through dark times. In the end Lydia hopes that they offer us a sense of hope...that there will be recovery if we are strong enough to face the darkness.
Diana Griffith is a health practitioner and creative spirit. She was driven by the tragic stories of residential schools to create a series of powerful drawings, on top of which she has transcribed accounts taken from the testimony of survivors, in their own words. She writes “That I was undone by these stories would be putting it mildly. I would like to help tell the truth. These are some of the stories of our very own people, who introduced us to this precious land”. Two of the drawings have been in the front window of Grey Gallery in advance of the exhibition, and I have been heartened to see how many people have stopped to view them, even though they are difficult to read in every sense. I can see in their reactions that they are moved and perhaps for the first time, have taken the individual stories to heart, and felt the pain of our shared history. When the exhibition closes Diana would like to make the series available on loan to educational or community organizations interested in displaying them to raise awareness.
The In Our Time exhibitions continues until November 27. Grey Gallery is open Wed. to Sat., from noon to 5pm.
www.greygallery.ca
source: media release, Grey Gallery
