Michael Pszczonak “On The Other Hand”  August 31 – October 8, 2022

To book a visit to see Michael Pszczonak’s exhibit in person, book HERE

For Michael Pszczonak’s (born in Windsor 1981, lives in London) second solo exhibition at the gallery, he has continued to explore the perceptual phenomenon of painting “what colour is the window”.  However, this new series depicting each month from the past year, records the reflections and spatial fluctuations that occur when looking in, instead of looking out.

The structure of the window has changed, the figure sometimes looms larger and what we see has shifted, but the outcome remains just as alluring: a visually sumptuous study of light, depth and colour in paint.

“On The Other Hand” Artist Statement:

“In the Fall of 2021 a series of 12 paintings, one for each month of the year, were displayed at Michael Gibson Gallery as an attempt to address my toddlers’ question ‘what colour is the window?’ (VIEW HERE)  The paintings in the exhibition used various methods of paint application to depict the view out of the front window of our home at nighttime.  From this view, the darkness of the exterior landscape and the illumination of the interior space created a perceptual phenomenon where we were simultaneously aware of the depth beyond the window, the reflection behind the window, and the surface of the window itself.

Whereas the past series of paintings depicted a view looking outside of our home at nighttime, the current body of work depicts the reflections and spatial fluctuations that occur when looking into our home during the daytime.  If the previous paintings served to act as a visual analysis of the colour of a window for my inquiring toddler, these new paintings act as both an extension and counterargument to that description.

In addition to formal painting concerns such as surface, depth, light, and colour, they are also conceived of as analogous to a photographic negative – an inversion of light from the previous body of work.  Furthermore, I situate them within a conceptual framework of the everyday and the domestic.  They are about looking from the perspective of both child and parent: joy and anxiety, learning and growth, the commonplace and the passage of time.”

Mike Pszczonak, born in 1981 in Windsor, ON, received his MFA from Western University and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Guelph.

He currently teaches within the Fine Art Program at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario.

He has received numerous grants and awards such as the Ontario Arts Council’s Emerging Artist Grant and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Grant.

His artwork is the collection of Museum London and private collections across North America.

Michael Pszczonak would like to thank the support of the Ontario Arts Council for supporting his art practice.

Link to Michael Pszczonak’s Artist Page HERE