The Strength of Garlic
Morley Shayuk
new paintings
June 5 - July 4, 2020
In 2016, Morley Shayuk relocated to a derelict farm east of Toronto with the aim of transforming the property into a small organic farm. Enlisting the farm as a setting for his new body of work, The Strength of Garlic, consists of paintings he began in early 2018 and completed this year.
“I tried to address opposing realities on the farm by contrasting the potential for conservation and habitat-building with the challenging task of undoing environmental damage caused by previous inhabitants. The ongoing transformation of the property and the insights gleaned while living on the farm became the inspiration for several small abstract paintings. These efforts led to the exhibition On Building Soil" in 2018.
In The Strength of Garlic I nurtured the domesticating themes that evolved from On Building Soil. In the early stages these paintings were deliberate, designed and representational. By reworking surfaces over a long period of time, subjects emerged organically and compositions found distinct and unexpected harmonies, mimicking the qualities of biodynamics in the studio, and making paintings that appear useful in subject and contemplative in nature."
Shayuk often incorporates and combines painting and drawing, sculpture and video in his practice. The Strength of Garlic is his eighth exhibition at our gallery.
Morley Shayuk is a multidisciplinary artist from Aurora, Ontario. He has exhibited paintings, drawings, sculpture and video with Paul Petro Contemporary Art since 2009. His work employs familiar compositional devices drawn from traditions of landscape painting. He lives and works in Prince Edward County, Ontario.