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| red cedar sculpture with acrylic paint, Love is All Around Us/Being A Part of Creation |
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| cedar box with acrylic paint, Heart & Soul |
Artists,
brothers, and painters: Rod Smith Galuyagmi and Steve Smith Dla'kwagila
have this much in common, yet their distinctive use of Northwest Coast formline
and design are very much in contrast. Having both apprenticed from their
father, the late Harris Smith Lalkawilas,
the brothers’ styles display stark similarities and differences, yet are still
reminiscent of Harris Smith’s work. The title of the exhibition, Contrast& Collaboration, effortlessly conveys both the unique journeys they
have undertaken in their artistic careers and their first opportunity to
collaborate on exclusive pieces for the exhibition that display their
contrasting styles. As Steve eloquently remarked, “I see us as being part of a tree that has different branches on it. We
are still the same tree and yet we each go our own way just as the branches of
a tree do”.
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| vinyl MUNNY with acrylic paint, Joyful |
The
body of work displayed in Contrast & Collaboration differs from the
brothers’ larger body of work in a variety of ways. Firstly, the show focuses explicitly
on the brothers’ Kwakwaka’wakw painting styles, as both a duo and individuals. Both
artists consider their work to be contemporary Kwakwaka’wakw pieces; while there
are elements of traditional design in their work, such as the several types of
salmon-trouthead, they are used in atypical ways to show the viewer something they
may not have seen before. Multiple pieces were identical in structure before
each artist worked with them on their own, easily demonstrating the contrast in
their styles. Many of the collaborative pieces are created at a much larger
scale than either artist would create on a regular basis; the expansive empty
‘canvas’ space on these particular pieces allowed for the artists to
demonstrate their visions and play with the medium. In pieces such as Joyful,
the formline of each artist twists, turns and intertwines to create a flow
of design that is quite playful.
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| red cedar sculpture with acrylic paint, Big Brother, Little Brother |
The
collaboration process was one of a trusting nature, in some cases with one
brother envisioning a sculptural piece with only light suggestions of color and
having the other brother incorporate his style in turn. At other times, the
concept of the piece was established before the creation; yet neither brother
was present for the piece’s conception entirely, allowing the process to be
truly collaborative and involved integrating their individual styles to offset,
contrast and balance the other’s style while still respecting the original idea
and each other’s unique design choices. All of the pieces have great attention
to detail, whether it is the design placement or the fine brush-strokes; both
Rod and Steve believe this characteristic unites their styles amidst their
differences in use of formline. Rod’s thin, delicate brush strokes and use of
cross-hatching juxtaposed with Steve’s bold, elegant painting style and
dramatic designs display what these two artists and brothers achieve in their
works: balance.
The show will be on display at Lattimer Gallery from June 22nd - July 20th, 2013.
The show will be on display at Lattimer Gallery from June 22nd - July 20th, 2013.
