I had the honor of assisting Flavio Belli with the execution of this exhibition at the Joseph D. Carrier Gallery. With 40 years now under the Columbus Centre’s belt, Belli curated this mass group exhibit that consists of 40 artists under the age of forty, hosting a grand total of 115 art pieces. Join me as I briefly highlight some of my favourite works.

Angela Snieder

𝘚𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝟷-𝟸 / 𝘈𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝟷-𝟹

Etching on paper

12" x 12" (frame)

$125 each

As a print maker and gardener myself, I am absolutely enthralled by the entangled roots of these etchings. Snieder has achieved such a beautiful tonal range of blacks in this series of etchings, something I truly struggled with when trying to etch work myself. The framing of her work accentuates the prints immensely.  

Alice Gong

𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩

Acrylic on Wood

4" x 4"

$250

The intimate sizes of these paintings draws viewers in close, especially since Gong has managed to achieve such immense details on these tiny blocks. Her work naturally reminds me of Andrea Monzon, another favorite artist of mine, with just as effortlessly seeming results.

Lana Filippone

𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘧𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦

Porcelain sculpture, glazes, 24K gold lustre, indigo velvet, gold leaf, domed frame

20" x 12"

$6,000

Filippone has three works in this exhibit, but this one specifically drew me in. Filippone’s attention to detail and use of contrast between the gold and plaster is apparent throughout her work, but the tranquil interaction between flora and fauna in this dome allured me. As the title suggests there is poison present, however as everything is casted in time, I can’t help but feel safe.

Steven Restagno

𝘉𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘐𝘐 (𝘒)

Oil on Canvas

36" x 36"

Sold

Between the scale of the painting and the immense level of realism, Restagno’s paintings are beyond worth checking out. Personally, I am not drawn towards high levels of realism, but with the floating bust of Restagno’s self-portrait, draped with a pair of briefs, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the work. I can also appreciate the harmony of the red in Restagno’s collar below the briefs on his head.

Peter Chan

𝘈𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰 𝟷𝟷

Oil on Linen

20" x 20"

$3,300 (Courtesy of Mark Christopher Gallery)

The softness of Chan’s paintings has always been alluring, but again I didn’t select this piece because of its well-crafted realism. What drew me to this piece over Chan’s other exhibited works was the story-telling element of this painting. We see a man who is in the middle of a meal, wearing an Apollo 11 t-shirt. As we look down, we can see in the reflection of his bowl the Apollo 11 moon landing that is presumably playing on the television, something he was anticipating. The snapshot of this moment of awestruck or petrification is executed perfectly.

Katherine Curci

𝘔𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘬

Charcoal and conte on paper

23" x 30"

$2,125

When unpacking Curci’s exhibited works, I remember staring at them and feeling some discomfort as I couldn’t tell what medium was used. At first glance I assumed water colour, and then from a distant I thought perhaps it was a photograph, but then lo and behold I discovered the work was in fact charcoal. This watery, soft impression of the charcoal really caught me by surprise, but this piece in particular was a favourite. Framing is so crucial to how artists present their work, and the rawness of this drawings torn edges, which are so elegantly framed, sold me on this piece.

Hannah Fayad

𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘑𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, and 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵

Blown Glass, Sandblasted

6" diameter, 5" diameter, 6.5"w x 4.4"h

$500, $500, $650

These beautifully handcrafted glass spheres brought out a sci-fi element to the show that I cannot say was the intention of Fayad. These molecular forming shapes appear to be caught in the middle stages of metamorphosis, reminiscent of an alien species or particle growing. As they sit in the gallery space, they add a new dimension of work as one of the few sculptural elements.

Megan Ellen MacDonald

𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘯𝘪𝘤

Oil on Canvas

24" x 30"

$2,000

Macdonald’s work has this blend of style, one that tip toes between the realm of animation and realism. The gloss of the porcelain is so close to the watermelon that I am led to believe that this isn’t meant to be a real picnic, but perhaps one planned by a child for their stuff animals. There is a sense of youthfulness and innocence to Macdonald’s work and it contributes to making their work stand out.

Jaymie Lathem

𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 (𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘴)

Graphite and charcoal on Dura-lar

NFS - On loan from a private collection

Contrasting to Macdonalds work, the disparity of Lathem’s was another that I thoroughly enjoyed. There are a few elements that bring my immediate reaction to this idea of disparity: It could be because of Joss Monzon’s work that I feel a familiarity to it, or the title instantly bringing me to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008). Before all others, it’s the look of the burnt hands and twisting of the limbs that places in me this specific sentiment. Additionally, the scale of the work is larger than life which really illustrated the craft of Lathem using Graphite and charcoal on durlar, contributing to this feeling of ‘fading’ to the piece, as the girl’s right foot is dissolving into the background.

There are many other works that I truly enjoyed in this exhibition that are not shown here, so please be sure to head over to the Joseph D. Carrier Gallery in the Columbus Centre to get a full viewing up until November 21st. Belli will also be providing gallery tours ever Saturday between 11am-4pm.

Details on hours and the gallery itself can be found here:

https://www.villacharities.com/columbus-centre/joseph-d-carrier-art-gallery/