NAVILLUS GALLERY POP ART EXHIBIT OPENS WITH A SPLASH OF COLOUR, A TOUCH OF NOSTALGIA & A SMATTERING OF SOCIAL COMMENTARY
Story by Nina Cherry
Image provided by Navillus Gallery
Something old, something new, and something cheeky: say hello to Navillus Gallery’s latest exhibit, Pop Art: Beautiful, Dirty, Rich. Victorian paintings are given a snarky makeover in this collection by the enigmatic group known as the 5 STooGES, consisting of THE COLLECTOR, THE CRAFTSMAN, and THE DESIGNERS. Each member is skilled in a specific area of artistic production.
THE COLLECTOR is just that, a collector: the images of Victorian and Old Masters paintings used in Pop Art come from THE COLLECTOR’s private set. THE CRAFTSMAN is the artist; he is responsible for the graffiti-like sayings splashed across the images and the punches of colour, reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s Factory-process pieces. THE DESIGNERS are alumni of Ryerson University’s New Media program, and have a style and culture blog here in Toronto. They processed the images from THE COLLECTOR’s set, drawing out the cracks in the old artwork to create a more polished look.
Pop Art is a provocative exhibit that seeks to explore the way in which we process images. How have we changed over the past century? How do we react to these familiar images when they have been covered in bits and pieces of modern culture? Pop Art opens today. Take a stroll though the stunning gallery, housed in a Post Modern building by Los Angeles-based architect Barton Meyers, and find out for yourself how you read and interpret images.
