An exhibition curated by Michael Dumontier and Micah Lexier
June 7 - September 8, 2012
Opening: Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 6 PM
Call Ampersand Response is a collaborative artwork made of images exchanged via email. Over a period of several months, Dumontier and Lexier sustained an image-based correspondence by sending each other scans of book covers, found objects, drawings and illustrations belonging to each artist’s respective collection. The project is based on the idea that their collections speak of their shared artistic affinities while informing their practices. Two rules dictated their conduct: each image was to function as a “call” seeking a “response” from the other artist, and the dialogue was to end when an image recalling the project’s opening image emerged, thereby constituting a narrative loop. Their conversation gave rise to a bookwork co-edited by Nieves and Artexte. In Artexte’s new gallery space, the project is shown as an installation in which shared themes and motifs are seen to play out over time, alongside objects selected from the source material.
Michael Dumontier (b. 1974) is a Winnipeg-based artist who works primarily in drawing and collage. He is a founding member of The Royal Art Lodge (1997–2008), and has exhibited throughout Canada and internationally. His distinct, minimalist style often features visual puns and references from how-to manuals and vintage children’s educational books, accompanied by witty, melancholic text. Beyond his individual practice, Dumontier has worked collaboratively with fellow Royal Art Lodge member Neil Farber with whom he has held weekly drawing sessions for over fifteen years, and with Micah Lexier. He is represented in Toronto by MKG127 and by Paul + Wendy Projects, and in Montreal by Galerie Division.
Micah Lexier (b. 1960) is a Toronto-based conceptual artist and curator. His work embraces notions of identity and its representation through a variety of media including sculpture, photography, drawing, printmaking and installation works. Lexier’s work has been shown at a number of institutions, including Printed Matter (2007), the National Gallery of Canada Library (2004), the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (1998), and the Art Gallery of Ontario (1993), among others. He is represented in Toronto by Birch Libralato, in Calgary by TrépanierBaer, and in Berlin by Gitte Weise Galerie.
Nieves is an independent publishing house based in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 2001, Nieves’ focus is on publishing artists books and zines.