Building on Ruins

Nicolas Grenier, Keith Rocka Knittel, Michael Ray-Von & Marcel Miranda Ackerman, Vidisha Saini, Katie Sinnott, Caroline Thomas, & Etienne Zack

Cirrus 2013-2014

Nicolas Grenier, Keith Rocka Knittel, Michael Ray-Von & Marcel Miranda Ackerman, Vidisha Saini, Katie Sinnott, Caroline Thomas, & Etienne Zack

Cirrus 2013-2014

November 16 th , 2013 - January 18th, 2014

Cirrus Gallery542 S. AlamedaLos Angeles, CA 90013

Building on Ruins

Building on Ruins

By Nicolas Grenier and Keith Rocka Knittel

“He who seeks to approach his own buried past must conduct himself like a man digging.”— Walter Benjamin

The famous actress sweeps down the temple’s crumbling promenade in a magenta sari, past growling monkeys and smoking soldiers squatting along the edge of the polluted moat. Urinestreaming down her bare leg, the outraged child screams and points at the German tourist’sshiny Nikon when he refuses to purchase her paper rose for an American dollar. Behind theheadless Vishnu, decapitated by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge, the teenager huffs paint, stainingpurple lips with a silver metallic halo.

Angkor Wat is an amalgamation of desire and antipathy, industry and collapse, faith and futility, a 1,200 year old lost mecca consumed by strangler tree roots, “rediscovered” by a French naturalist and today famed with a Cirque du Soleil extravaganza, Smile of Angkor. Five centuries of urban development excavated from the jungle, Hindu temples became Buddhist temples, which

were later reconverted into Hindu temples, before being occupied by Buddhist monks — each transition leaving traces in the stones: a cultural layering followed by five centuries of human neglect and vegetal growth, repopulated with hordes of tourists and vendors. At the apex is a contemporary layer of history in the form of human litter. Meanwhile the jungle continues to grow, envelopes temples and trash alike with the same timeless indifference, providing an illusionary levelling effect in its green patina.

Building on Ruins is a collective project that addresses both our impulse to build our own monuments and the problematic nature of the ground on which we stand. Contemporary art takes roots in a dense, messy, all-over pattern of political, economic, social and cultural issues. It is no longer possible to consider the blank canvas as an untouched space, in the same way it is impossible to consider naively such notions as “untouched nature”, “pure air” or “clean water”. Yet making artworks requires a certain form of idealism, which is often difficult to reconcile with the state of the world.

Keith Rocka KnittelPhases of the Moon During the Day (1-3), detail

2013

Michael Ray-Von and Marcel Miranda AckermanObras Negras, 2013

One solution to this problem is to keep a form of detachment towards the art object. The artist creates with reserve: the artwork is a proposition, and the art object needs not be fully realized and polished, only to the extent that is necessary to fulfil its purpose. Another solution is to accept the futile nature of complete dedication to art making, but to commit anyway and realize the artwork to its full potential. As opposed to the Buddhist philosophy of renouncement, this approach implies a different kind of detachment, not towards the art object but towards the energy we invest in it, towards the futility of our faith in our own creation. This project investigates the second strategy. The works grouped in this exhibition use a deconstructed architecture, framework or system as a point of departure to build on top of, literally and/or figuratively. This willingness to acknowledge structural damage as part of the process can be resilience, indifference or cynicism, but nevertheless the works offer a sincere act of construction.Cumulatively, they suggest a perspective from which we can conceive fabrication and collapse as part of the same project, thus engaging directly with the layering of history. Like the jungle growing over temples and trash, or — more aptly —, like building a temple with trash and planting trees on it.

Katie Sinnott, She/Sea, 2013, mixed media installation, dimensions variable, ACME, Los Angelges

Katie Sinnott, She/Sea, 2013, mixed media installation, dimensions variable, ACME, Los Angelges

Nicolas GrenierMiddle Ground III, 2013 Oil and acrylic on wood panel, 36” x 24”

Nicolas Grenier, Middle Ground III, detail

Nicolas GrenierBuoyant Home Template, 2013Oil and acrylic on wood panel, 36" x 24"

Buoyant Home Template, detail

Keith Rocka KnittelPhases of the Moon During the Day (1-3), 2013 Wax and debris on MDF, 17" round

Keith Rocka Knittel, ‘73/93, ‘93/73, 2013, Inkjet print on paper, framed, 18” x 24”

Keith Rocka KnittelPhases of the Sun During the Night (1-3), 2013 Wax and debris on newsprint, framed, 13" x 18"

Keith Rocka Knittel, Spiral Jetty (V) / Invert, 2013Wood, found table, plaster, rock from Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty," latex and acrylic paint, dimensions variable

Michael Ray-Von and Marcel Miranda AckermanObra Negra website

Michael Ray-Von and Marcel Miranda AckermanObra Negra website

Michael Ray-Von and Marcel Miranda AckermanObra Negra website

Michael Ray-Von and Marcel Miranda AckermanObra Negra website

Vidisha SainiSouvenir from the tour, You Like Mr. Shekhar, from the project "Of Eldorado", Hampi, India, 2013Map, Eraser, Tamarind Seeds, Chawang- game

Vidisha SainiELDORADO to ELDORADO, from the project “Of Eldorado”, 2013Archival Print, Mixed Media.15”x10”Edition of 8

Excerpt from video documentation, ELDORADO to ELDORADO, from the project "Of Eldorado", Performance by Vidisha Saini.Spring Street, Los Angeles, 2013

Vidisha SainiInstallation View, Pyrites and Video Projection. For the episode “The Eldorado”, from the project “Of Eldorado”Cirrus Gallery, Los Angeles, 2013

Vidisha SainiExcerpt from Video Documentation, You Like Mr. Shekhar, from the project “Of Eldorado”Hampi, India, 2013

Katie Sinnott, 11:11 (detail), 2012Mixed media installationNew Wight Gallery, UCLA

Katie Sinnott, She/Sea, 2013Mixed media installationACME, Los Angeles

Katie Sinnott, Cold Water (detail), 2013Mixed media installation, dimensions variableNew Wight Gallery, UCLA

CarolineThomas, Interlude, 2012Video still

CarolineThomasGenerator, 2012

CarolineThomasGenerator, 2012

Etienne Zack Boxed In, 2013Oil on canvas, 48 in x 42 in

Etienne ZackOverlap, 2013Oil on canvas, 48 in x 42 in

Etienne Zack Papers I, 2013Oil on canvas, 48in x 42 in

Etienne Zack Papers I, 2013, detail

Building on Ruins

November 16th - January 18th

Opening reception: Saturday, November 16th, 5 - 9pmPerformance by Vidisha Saini at 5pm

Nicolas Grenier, Keith Rocka Knittel,

Michael Ray-Von & Marcel Miranda Ackerman, Vidisha Saini, Katie Sinnott, Caroline Thomas, & Etienne Zack

Caroline Thomas, Interlude, video still, 2012

The famous actress sweeps down the temple’s crumbling promenade in a magenta sari,

past growling monkeys and smoking soldiers squatting along the edge of the polluted moat. Urine streaming down her bare leg, the outraged child screams and points at the German tourist’s shiny Nikon when he refuses to purchase her paper rose for an American dollar. Behind the headless Vishnu, decapitated by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge, the teenager huffs

paint, staining purple lips with a silver metallic halo. Angkor is an amalgamation of desire and antipathy, industry and collapse, faith and futility, a 1,200 year old lost mecca consumed by

strangler tree roots, rediscovered by a French naturalist, destroyed by rebels, and today laser-lit with a Cirque du Soleil extravaganza,

Smile of Angkor.

Building on Ruins is a collective project investigating the multi-layered perspective from which we can conceive fabrication and collapse, thus engaging directly with the layering of history. Like the jungle growing over temples and trash, or - more aptly, like building a temple with

trash and planting trees on it, the works in the exhibition explore our personal relationship with the layering of history and the impulse to build our own monuments on the problematic ground on

which we stand. This willingness to acknowledge structural damage as part of the creative process can manifest resilience, indifference or cynicism. Nevertheless these works offer a sincere act of construction, an approach implying a different kind of detachment, not towards the art object but

towards the energy invested in it, towards the futility of our faith in our own creation.

Organized by Nicolas Grenier, Keith Rocka Knittel, and Etienne Zack, Building on Ruins will also include a series of readings, performances, a live KCHUNG broadcast, and an expansive web-

based project. As documentation and artifacts of the exhibition are accumulated as web content, the website, Obra Negra (http://buildingon.ru/ins) will accumulate 256 states of stylistic construction

exhibited on a dynamically animate timeline. The construction will commence on November 1, 2013, and conclude with the closing of the exhibition and live KCHUNG broadcast on

January 18, 2014.

Building on Ruins Events:

Friday, November 1st: Obra Negra (http://buildingon.ru/ins) goes live

Thursday, November 21st: Readings and screening of

Post Fordlandia, a film by Megs Morley and Tom Flanagan 7-9pm

Saturday, December 14th: Readings and performances 7-9pm

Saturday, December 21st:

Offsite event - Vidisha Saini performs “Eldorado to Eldorado” 7-9pm

Saturday, January 18: Live KCHUNG Broadcast 12-6pm Vidisha Saini performance 5-6pm

Nicolas Grenier received his BFA from Concordia University and his MFA from CalArts. Recent exhibitions include A Marginal Revolution (Kuad Gallery, Istanbul), The Road (Luis De Jesus, Los Angeles), Color Consciousness (Torrance Art Museum), Have You Seen My Privacy? (Concord,

Los Angeles), Corner-Thru (Choi&Lager Gallery, Cologne, and Union gallery, London), andProximities (galerie Art Mûr). Grenier’s work can be found in the Musée National des Beaux-

Arts du Québec and the Loto-Québec Collection. He currently lives in both Montreal and Los Angeles.

Keith Rocka Knittel holds an MFA from CalArts and a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and is the founding director of OCEAN (westofcalifornia.org). His work has been in recent exhibits at Angels Gate Cultural Center (Los Angeles, CA), Otras Obras (Tijuana, Mexico) and

DoubleDoubleLand (Toronto, Canada). He lives and works in San Pedro, California.

Michael Ray-Von has lived primarily in Southern California, and studied at the California Institute of the Arts. He is the co-director of Otras Obras, an art space in Tijuana, BC, and currently resides in Mexico City, DF. Marcel Miranda Ackerman is a software writer focused on source code aesthetics

and design automation algorithms. Originally from Tijuana, he currently resides in México City.

Vidisha Saini holds an MFA in Photography & Media and Integrated Media from CalArts and a

Bachelor of Design in Communication Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology (New Delhi). Solo exhibitions include White Breading and Of Eldorado at CalArts,

and Pratibimb & Showtime at Matthieu Foss Gallery in Mumbai. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Katie Sinnott received her MFA from UCLA in 2013, and holds degrees from UC Berkeley

and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She recently exhibited at Night Gallery and ACME in Los Angeles, where she currently resides.

Caroline Thomas holds a BA in Art from UC Berkeley, an MFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. She recently exhibited at Telles Fine Art in Los Angeles, as well as the Hammer Museum, where her work can be found in their permanent collection. She currently lives in

Los Angeles.

Etienne Zack attended the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Concordia University, and Saint-Laurent College in Montréal. Recent solo exhibitions include the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal, Canada (catalog), Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen, Norway, Thomas Dane Gallery, London, England, and Blackwood Gallery at the University of

Toronto, Mississauga, Canada. His work can be found in a number of collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, Vancouver Art Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art of

Montreal, National Fine Arts Museum of Quebec, Montreal Fine Arts Museum, Zabludowicz Collection, and The Model in Ireland. Zack currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Nicolas Grenier / Bio (English) Nicolas Grenier received his BFA from Concordia University in 2004 and his MFA from CalArts in 2010. His work has been exhibited regularly in Canada, in the US and in Europe. He lives and works in Los Angeles and Montreal, and is represented by galerie Art Mûr in Montreal. Recent exhibitions include: A Marginal Revolution (Kuad Galley, Istanbul), The Road (Luis De Jesus Los Angeles), Color Consciousness (Torrance Art Museum), Untitled Tower/Brutalist Treehouse (Concord, Los Angeles), Corner-Thru (Choi&Lager Gallery, Cologne, and Union gallery, London), recent acquisitions from the CPOA (Musée Nationale des Beaux-Arts du Québec) and Proximities (galerie Art Mûr). Nicolas Grenier / Bio (Français) Nicolas Grenier a obtenu un baccalauréat à l’université Concordia en 2004 et une maîtrise à CalArts en 2010. Son travail a été exposé régulièrement au Canada, aux États-Unis et en Europe. Il vit et travaille à Los Angeles et à Montréal, et est représenté à Montréal par la galerie Art Mûr. Ses expositions récentes inclues: The Road (Luis De Jesus Los Angeles), Color Consciousness (Torrance Art Museum), Untitled Tower/Brutalist Treehouse (Concord, Los Angeles), Corner-Thru (Choi&Lager Gallery, Cologne, and Union gallery, London), acquisitions récentes de la CPOA (Musée Nationale des Beaux-Arts du Québec) et Proximités (galerie Art Mûr). Nicolas Grenier / Artist Statement My interest lies in the distorted connections between the many systems we inhabit—political, economic, cultural and social—and the principles (or absence of principles) at the root of these systems. My artworks, primarily paintings but also drawings, architectural installations, artist books and prints, translate these theoretical, philosophical problems into the visual or physical. Using the language of architecture, urban planning and diagrams, I imagine absurd or perverse models that are not incongruous with the mechanisms by which organic elements are integrated into structured wholes: households, communities, countries, maps, policies. Such concerns may appear irreconcilable with the practice of painting. Is painting limited to self-referential lyricism and subjectivity alone, or can it also be used to propose a more analytical critique of societal and topical issues? I try to raise this fundamental question in my work by combining research and the use of many symbolic and indexical elements such as color coding, text, arrows and legends, which constantly refer to concepts and ideas outside the canvas, while their meaning within the work remains relative to colors and shapes. How might the subtle violence of a warm green glaze over a cold pink relate to the shift of meaning between two words such as “integration” and “assimilation”? This ambiguous relationship between content and form—as well as my own skepticism towards language—is becoming a central concern in my work. Occasionally, projects will take the form of architectural installations and become larger three-dimensional works. These often include modular elements and are conceived as interactive ways to explore some of the ideas in my paintings at a human scale, such as the integration of public and private space, and how dividing, opening or closing spaces affect social interactions and relations of power. Beyond the specificity of the mediums, the result of my formal and conceptual explorations could be described as a multilayered critique of society, a social and structural hallucination that hovers between irony, cynicism and political engagement.

Keith Rocka Knittel979 W 11th StSan Pedro, CA 90731www.keithrocka.com

Keith Rocka Knittel holds an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and a BFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art (M.I.C.A). He is currently a staff member at the USC Roski School of Fine Arts, and the Founding Director of OCEAN (westofcalifornia.org) and has served as an interim Technical Faculty and Practicum Faculty member at CalArts. He lives and works in San Pedro, California, where he attempts to break down the linear preconceptions of time and space.

Michael Ray-Von

Born September 27, 1988 in San Diego, CALives in Ciudad de México, DF

BFA - California Institute of the ArtsValencia, CA2012

Co-DirectorOtras Obras2012-Present

Selected Exhibitions

Mural Problem Otras Obras Curated by Fiona Connor Tijuana, BC 2013 What Can I Tell You That You Don’t Already Know? CalArts A402 Gallery Valencia, CA 2012 Notes on a New Nature 319 Scholes New York, NY 2011 Bedros Yeretzian & Michael Ray-Von Loading Dock Gallery Thousand Oaks, CA 2011 That’s How We Know The Tongue Is Blind Curtat Tunnel Lausanne, Switzerland 2011 Short-term Deviation EFA Project Space New York, NY 2010 Please Remember Everything Actual Size Los Angeles, CA 2010

Curatorial Efforts

Asamblea/Ensamblar with Clay Gibson Otras Obras Tijuana, BC 2013 Involución with Temra Pavlovic Otras Obras Tijuana, BC 2013 Decorating the Val Verde Home Val Verde, CA 2011

Selected Projects

A List of Students Enrolled In Post Studio Art, with Michael Asher at CalArts, 1976 — 2008 Book design 2013

LA Unified with Albert Samreth Exhibition/symposium of students and faculty from various LA art academies 2012 Yung Jake Print and web design 2011 - Present

Vidisha Saini likes to queer utopia, colonialism, gender, history and tourism. She works with alter-egos (Fadescha), performance, multi-media, hyper-text and games. Vidisha’s social as well as anti-social. Saini holds a Master of Fine Arts in Photography & Media, and Integrated Media from California Institute of the Arts (2013, CA) and a Bachelor of Design in Communication Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology (2010, New Delhi.) She is presently based in Los Angeles. Vidisha Saini’s solo exhibition include “White Breading” and “Of Eldorado” at CalArts, 2013, and “Pratibimb & Showtime” at Matthieu Foss Gallery, Mumbai, 2011. Recent selected group exhibitions include Cindrella Ashtray, Concord, LA, 2013; “PIX- Suburbia”, Goethe Institute, Hamburg, 2013; “Subject Matters”, Chinatown, Los Angeles, 2013; “A Photograph is Not an Opinion – Contemporary Photography by Women”, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2013; “New Directions In Old Media: Post Conceptual Journeys”, Trapezoid Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2012; “Beauty & The Beast”, Matthieu Foss Gallery, Mumbai, 2012; “ARTiculate”, Pratham UK and Saffron Art, London, 2011 and “Sampling India: Of Blind Men And Elephant”, The Empty Quarter, Dubai, 2011. Her performances in 2013 include “Indian-American Bread”, Plaza, Santa Fe, NM, For Center Artsis Lab, funded by National Endowment for the Arts; “ELDORADO to ELDORADO”, Downtown to South LA, LA; “Talking Sounds”, Harvest works, New York Electronic Art Festival, NY ; “Asking for it” and “Her Crime”, Subject Matters, Chinatown, LA; “Speak Evil”, Slag Manifesto, Valencia, CA; “My man likes my car waxed”, Obstacle Car, Valencia, CA; “You Like Mr. Shekhar”, Of Eldorado, Valencia, CA; “You Like Mr. Shekhar”, Hampi, India.

Katie Sinnottkatiesinnott@gmail.com(650)302-4318

Education2013 MFA, Sculpture UCLA , Los Angeles, CA2009 FifthYearCertificate School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA2008 Studio Art DiplomaSchool of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA2007 Post-BaccalaureateCertificateSchool of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA2005 Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude University of California, Berkeley, CAMajor: American Studies

Group Exhibitions

2013 UCLA MFA Thesis Show #1, New Wight Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. WORK/SPACE, ACME., Los Angeles, CA. UCLA MFA Spring Open Studios, Los Angeles, CA

2012 UCLA MFA Fall Pre-view Show, New Wight Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. UCLA MFA Spring Open Studios, Los Angeles, CA. UCLA MFA Fall Open Studios, Los Angeles, CA.

2011 UCLA MFA Fall Open Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Travelling Scholars, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.

2009 Graduating Students Exhibition, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.Fifth Year Exhibition, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.

2008 Inside Out Sale, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston , MA.Student Annual Show, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.2007 The Outlet- December Sale, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.Post-Baccalaureate Spring Exhibition, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.

2006 Post- Baccalaureate Fall Exhibition, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. Drawing Salon, University of California, Berkeley, CA 2005.

Drawing Salon, University of California, Berkeley, CA 2004. Visual Autobiography, University of California, Berkeley, CA 2004.

Awards and Fellowships

2013 Dedalus Foundation Masters of Fine Arts Fellowship

2013 Arts Council Fellowship

2013 UCLA Graduate Division Fellowship 2012 -2013 Stuart and Lynda Resnick Scholarship

2009 Travelling Scholars Grant, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. After two years of travel and artistic exploration, Scholars exhibit their work in a group show at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Residencies2009 RECYCLE ME! Project, Casamarles, Llorenc del Penedes, Spain.One of twelve international artists to build a permanent installation out of recycled furniture, in a house now open as an artist residency.

Caroline Thomas

Born in San FranciscoLives in Los Angeles

EducationArt Center College of Design, MFA, 2002Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, 1997University of California, Berkeley, BA, 1995

Exhibitions2012Artists Tower of Protest by Mark Di Suvero, organized by LAX Art, Sunset and Hilldale, HollywoodMade in LA, Hammer Museum, Los AngelesFormwandler, Richard Telles Fine Art, Los AngelesFix-It-Up too, SASSAS Benefit Auction, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles2011No Swan So Fine, Michael Benevento, Los Angeles curated by Joanna FiducciaLAX Art Benefit Auction, Los Angeles2010Richard Telles Fine Art, Los Angeles. Three person exhibitionAritst Curated Projects, Los Angeles. Group exhibitionUSC Faculty Exhibition, Lindhurst Gallery, Roski School of Fine Arts2009The Curse of Ceramics, China Art Objects, Four Person Exhibition, Los AngelesYou Can’t Expect…, , Four Person Exhibition, Las Cienegas Projects, Los AngelesIn Search of Geography/ “Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, Solo Exhibition, New Langton ArtsFoyer, San FranciscoLos Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) Benefit Art Auction 2009, Los Angeles1999, China Art Objects Gallery / Cottage Home Gallery, Los Angeles, group exhibition2008The Drowned Giant, Artist Curated Projects, Los Angeles, Three-person exhibition curated by JeffOnoFlowing Pulsing Beating Burning, Glendale College Art Gallery, Group exhibition2006Residence Choice, Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, Group exhibition2005

The Meeting, Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, Group exhibitionFollow Me: A Fantasy, Arena One Gallery, Santa Monica. Group exhibition curated by Malik Gaines2002Song Poems, Cohen Leslie and Browne, New York. Group exhibition curated by Steven Hull2001Song Poems, Rosamund Felsen, Santa Monica. Group exhibition curated by Steven HullSyncope, solo thesis exhibition, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena2000Democracy, The Bradberry Building, Los Angeles. Group exhibition curated by Andy OuchiStendhal Syndrome, solo exhibition, Art Center College of Design, PasadenaTeachingUniversity of Southern California, Adjunct Faculty, Roski School of Fine Arts, Sculpture Program2009- the present

Biography

Etienne Zack had his first solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal, Canada (with catalogue) in spring 2010. His work has also been shown in numerous solo exhibitions including Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen, Norway; Thomas Dane Gallery, London, England; Marina-Miranda, Madrid, Spain; Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, Canada; Blackwood Gallery at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, Canada. Zack’s work was also been included in East International 2004 (selectors: Neo Rauch and Harry Gerb Lybke), Norwich, England; The Model, Sligo, Ireland; the National Gallery of Canada; Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada; Nicole Klagsbrun, New York, United States; Projektraum Viktor Bucher, Vienna, Austria, and was part of the 2008 Quebec Triennial at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal, Canada.

Etienne Zack is the 2005 winner of the RBC Painting Competition and the 2008 City of Montreal's Pierre-Ayot prize.

His work is collected by major institutions and museums, including the National Gallery of Canada, Vancouver Art Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal, National Fine Arts Museum of Quebec, Montreal Fine Arts Museum and The Model, Ireland. His work can also be found in private collections in the United States, Europe and the UK.

Etienne Zack’s work uses fictitious possibilities and historical moments that are staged into paintings that are reminiscent of fabricated environments. Each painting operates within its own systems and logic. A painting is made up of a succession of ideas that are performed using paint. Ideas accumulate and sediment onto the surface. As traces of thoughts amass and overlap on the canvas, construction and deconstruction of ideas and images are simultaneously active while wide ranges of themes and references from diverse fields are explored within a single painting. In effect, the paintings function as a way to activate and pry open different pictorial, cultural, and historical forces in order to experience them yet again in unique ways.

Etienne Zack lives and works in Los Angeles, USA.

Etienne ZackSolo Exhibitions2013 (upcoming) Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, Canada2012 In Itself, Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, Canada2011 BCC, Torrance Art Museum (sculpture patio), Torrance, California, USA2010 Etienne Zack (catalogue), Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, Montréal, CanadaNon-Narrative Notes, Equinox Gallery 2, Vancouver, CanadaAutopia, Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaNameMediumSizeYear (Untitled Circuit), Vancouver Cultural Olympiad, Vancouver, Canada2008 Blackwood Gallery, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, CanadaOcculture, Art 45, Montréal, Canada2007 Authorshop, Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaArt 45, Montréal, Canada2006 According to This, Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen, NorwayThomas Dane Gallery, London, England, (two person exhibition)Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaWrong Gallery Edition #125, curator: Babak Golkar Lobby Gallery, Vancouver, Canada2005 Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, Canada2004 Galería Marina Miranda (catalog), Madrid, Spain2002 Superpositions, Annexe III, Galerie Trois Points, Montréal, CanadaAwry, Artcore Gallery, Toronto, CanadaNothing Really Happens, Third Avenue Gallery, Vancouver, Canada2001 tropes, Third Avenue Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaSelected Group Exhibitions2013 Oh Canada (catalogue), curator: Denise Markonish (2014-2015 touring exhibition venues TBA)Corner Thru, Choi&Lager Gallery, Cologne, GermanyStorage Wars, 5490Projects - Beacon Arts Building, Los Angeles, USASoundtrack: Volume 1, Division Gallery, Montreal, CanadaSoundtrack: Volume 2, Division Gallery, Toronto, CanadaTerritoires Imaginés, Collection Loto-Québec, Montreal, Canada2012 Corner Thru, Union Gallery (catalogue), London, EnglandOh Canada (catalogue), curator: Denise Markonish, MASS MoCA, North Adams, USAUp the Walls, The Model, curator: Séamus Kealy, Sligo, IrelandVision Machine, Surrey Art Gallery, curator: Jordan Strom, Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, CanadaCut and Paste, Equinox Project Space, Vancouver, CanadaDissolutions, René Blouin Gallery, Montréal, CanadaLa Collection selon... Les Impatients, Collection Loto-Québec, Montreal, Canada2011 Art from the Audain Collection: Shore, Forest and Beyond (catalogue), Vancouver Art Gallery, curator: Ian Thom, Grant Arnold, Vancouver, Canada

Between the Cracks (Picturing the Fourth Dimension), Curator: David Elliott, Oboro, Montreal, CanadaArt Toronto, Equinox Gallery, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, CanadaUnreal, Vancouver Art Gallery, curator: Daina Augaitis, Vancouver, CanadaSome Paintings, Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, Canada2010 It Is What It Is (catalogue), National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, CanadaToronto International Art Fair, (Equinox Gallery and Art 45), Toronto, Canada2009 National Gallery of Canada, Permanent Collection Exhibition, Ottawa, Canada2008 Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée, tout se transforme (catalogue), The Quebec Triennal,Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal, Montréal, CanadaEquinox Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaToronto International Art Fair, (Equinox Gallery and Art 45), Toronto, CanadaToronto International Art Fair, (Equinox Gallery), Toronto, Canada2007 Equinox Gallery, Vancouver, Canada2006 Paint (catalogue), Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaFrieze Art fair, (Thomas Dane Gallery), London, England2005 In a Certain Place, Nicole Klagsbrun, New York, USARBC Canadian Painting Competition, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art,Toronto, CanadaRBC Canadian Painting Competition, Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery, Halifax, CanadaRBC Canadian Painting Competition, Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaRBC Canadian Painting Competition, Galerie Sussex Gallery, Ottawa,CanadaAP4-ART, Geneva, SwitzerlandNo Place As Home: New Art From Vancouver, curator: Séamus Kealy, AP4-ART, Geneva, SwitzerlandNo Place As Home: New Art From Vancouver, curator: Séamus Kealy, Projektraum Viktor Bucher, Vienna, AustriaLiving-it, Center A, curator: Sally Lee, Vancouver, CanadaArtcore Gallery, Toronto, CanadaFrieze Art Fair, (Thomas Dane Gallery), London, EnglandToronto International Art Fair, (Equinox Gallery), Toronto, CanadaTurin Art Fair, (AP4-ART), Turin, ItalyMiArt 2005, (AP4-ART), Milan, ItalyScope New York, (Artcore Gallery), New York, USAArt Bologna, (Artcore Gallery), Bologna, Italy2004 East International 2004 (catalogue), Norwich Gallery, Norwich, England, selectors: Neo Rauch, Gerd Harry LybkeEquinox Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaArtcore Gallery, Toronto, CanadaKBK Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City, MexicoFuturibles: Las Américas, ARCO, Madrid, Spain, curator: Bruce GrenvilleDisasteroids, INFEST, Video In, Vancouver, Canada

Art Basel, (Artcore Gallery), Miami Beach, USAToronto International Art Fair, (Equinox Gallery), Toronto, CanadaArt Cologne, (Artcore Gallery), Cologne, GermanyFIAC, (Artcore Gallery), Paris, FranceScope London, (Artcore Gallery), London, EnglandMACO, (Artcore Gallery), Mexico City, MexicoMACO, (KBK Arte Contemporaneo), Mexico City, Mexico2003 Artcore Gallery, Toronto, CanadaArt Basel, (Artcore Gallery), Miami Beach, USAFIAC, (Artcore Gallery), Paris, FranceBrussels Art Fair, (Artcore Gallery), Brussels, Belgium2002 Génération Montréal Generation, Montréal, CanadaFailure, Belkin Satellite, Vancouve, Canada, curator: Séamus KealyArt Basel, (Artcore Gallery), Miami Beach, USATurin Art Fair, (Artcore Gallery), Turin, ItalyArt Cologne, (Artcore Gallery), Cologne, GermanyToronto International Art Fair, (Third Avenue Gallery), CanadaChicago Art Fair, (Artcore Gallery), Chicago, USA2001 Third Avenue Gallery, Vancouver, Canada2000 Third Avenue Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaX-Pollination, Palace Session, Vancouver, Canada, curator:Kelly DeckPassage 1999-2000 (catalog), Centre d’Exposition de Rouyn-Noranda, Rouyn-Noranda, Canada, curator: Jean DumontLocation of Space, curator: Abigail Scholar, Antechamber Gallery, Regina, Canada1999 Third Avenue Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaSelected Bibliography (print)2012 Mass MoCA (Exhibition Catalogue) , “Oh Canada”, curator: Denise Markonish, May 20122012 Artforum International, “Oh Canada”, Previews, by Kayla Guthrie, May 2012, p.1542012 The Georgia Straight (Feature story), "Art Star: Etienne Zack hits home turf again", vol 46, #2312, April 12-19, 2012 by Robin Laurence2010 National Gallery of Canada, "It Is What It Is: Recent Aquisitions of New Canadian Art" (Exhibition Catalogue, by Rhiannon Vogl, National Gallery of Canada, 2010, ABC Art Books Canada, p.152-1532010 Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal (Exhibition Catalogue), "Etienne Zack", by François Letourneux and Séamus Kealy, Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal, Canada, ABC Art Books Canada, 86 pages2010 Border Crossings, "Crossovers : Visual Arts- Etienne Zack", by James D. Campbell, volume 29, number 3, issue no.115, p.135-1362010 The Georgia Straight, "Etienne Zack turns on the art machines with Autopia", March 25, 2010 by Robin Laurence2010 Le Devoir, "Les musées, entre ombre et lumière", by Marie-Ève Charron, January 16, 2010, Arts Visuels2010 Le Collectif, "Exposition : Etienne Zack", by Émilie Lagacé

March 22, 20102010 The Globe and Mail, "L’atelier du peintre et ses visions fantasmatiques", by Sarah Milroy, Saturday April 3, 20102010 Galleries West, "Etienne Zack, Autopia, Equinox Gallery, March3-31, 2010", Canada Exhibition Reviews2010 Le Devoir, "L’atelier du peintre et ses visions fantasmatiques", by Marie-Ève Charron, Saturday and Sunday, February 14, 2010, De Visu, E62010 National Post, "Abstract Exposition", by Leah Sandals, Tuesday, February 9, 2010, Avenue : Questions and Artists, B72010 Métro, "Etienne Zack au MACM", by Marc-André Lemieux, February 12-14, 2010,Culture, p.212010 Le Journal de Montréal, "Trois nouvelles expositions au musée d’art contemporain", by Dany Bouchard, Monday February 8, 2010, Arts et Spectacles, p.582010 La Presse, "Etienne Zack : Le peintre et son double", by Mario Cloutier, Saturday March 6, 2010, Arts et Spectacles, p.172010 Vie des Arts, "Etienne Zack : Vertigineux Abîmes", by Émilie Granjon, #218-Spring 2010, p.40-412009 OVNI Magazine 03, "La peinture est une technologie", Fall 2009, p. 2, p. 21-25,p .722008 Carte Blanche, "Vol. 2: Painting", Magenta Foundation, 2008, p. 206-2072008 Le Devoir, "Bravo les artistes: Remise de prix", by Jacque Grenier, Friday November 28, 2008, Week-End: Culture, B22008 Le Journal de Montréal, "La force créative de nos artistes", by Murielle Chatelier,Saturday November 29, 2008, Art Visuels, p. 542008 Vie des Arts, "Prix Pierre-Ayot", no. 213, Winter 2008-2009, p.152008 Vie des Arts, "Nothing Is Lost, Nothing Is Created, Everything Is Transformed", by John K.Grande, no. 212, p. 8-92008 Montreal Mirror, "Epic, outstanding and creepy: Triennial and push", by Stacey DeWolfe, December 25-January 7, 2008, p. 562008 Canadian Art, "Object World", by Robin Laurence, Fall 2008, Vol. 25, no.3, p.114-1172008 La Presse, "Suspense et mystère", by Jocelyne Lepage, Saturday May 31, 2008, Arts et spectacles: Arts visuels, p. 172008 The Globe and Mail, "Is Montreal the real capital of Canada?", by Sarah Milroy, Saturday May 31, 2008, Visual arts: Review, p. R52008 Vie des Arts, "L’art contemporain au service du public", by Bernard Lévy, no. 211,Summer 2008, p. 762008 Vie des Arts, "Un air de légèreté", by Bernard Lévy, no. 211, Summer 2008, p. 79, 832008 Concordia Journal, "Concordia artists take the MAC", by Barbara Black, June 12, p. 12

2008 The Blackwood Gallery ( Exhibition Text), by Séamus Kealy, The Blackwood Gallery, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Canada2008 Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal (Exhibition Catalogue), ‘’Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée, tout se transforme’’, The Quebec Triennial, , Montréal, Québec, Canada2008 Página 12, Lilian Rodríguez, 06/10/082007 Radio-Canada TV, Capsule Culturelle, Le Téléjournal, 08/12/072007 Radio-Canada Radio, "Le pont des arts", interview by Yolène Mottet, 28/11/072007 Western Living, "Westerly: Western Artist Etienne Zack", by Jaqueline Moore, December 2007, p.132007 Art Le Sabord, Fall 2007, p.12-162007 Fashion Magazine, "Art and commerce", by Kevin Chong, October 2007, p. 128-1332006 Vancouver Art Gallery (Exhibition Catalogue), “Paint”, Monika Szewczyk and Neil Campbell, Vancouver Art Gallery publication, Canada2006 Prague Art future 2006 (Exhibition Catalogue), “Tina B”, Prague, Czech Republic2006 Canadian Art, "In Review - Etienne Zack, Equinox Gallery, Vancouver", by Sean Alward, Fall 2006, p. 1392006 Modern Painters, "View from Vancouver - Art and Lifestyle in Hollywood North Peripheral Visions", by Christopher Mooney, July-August 2006, p. 100-1012006 Galleries West, "Etienne Zack - Junk and the Realm of Ideas", by Dylan Cree,Fall/Winter 2006, p. 56-592006 The Vancouver Sun, "A cheerfully subversive artist", by Clint Burnham, Saturday, May 20, 2006, p.122006 The Georgia Straight, "Etienne Zack" by Robin Laurence, Vol. 40, No. 2003, May 11-18, p. 552005 The Georgia Straight, "Artists Exhibit Fresh Talent", Fall Arts Season Preview, Visual Arts, by Robin Laurence, Vol. 39, No. 1969, September 15-222005 Canadian Art, "Etienne Zack, Equinox Gallery, Vancouver", Rewind, Fall 2005, p. 154-1552005 Border Crossings, "Etienne Zack Image Crusher", by Lee Henderson, p. 71-79, Issue No. 952005 Flash Art, "Etienne Zack", by Dion Kliner, p. 124, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 243, July-September2004 Flash Art, "Mixed Paint: Survey of Contemporary Painters", p. 98, Vol. XXXVII, No. 239, November/December2004 East International 2004 (Exhibition Catalogue), by Keith Wallace, Norwich School of Art2004 Galería Marina Miranda (Exhibition Catalogue), "Overwhelming the Image", by Eugenio CastroAwards/GrantsCity of Montréal Pierre-Ayot Prize – 1st Prize 2008RBC Painting Competition – 1st Prize 2005Canada Council for the Arts – Project Grant 2010

Canada Council for the Arts – Project Grant 2002Canada Council for the Arts – Travel Grant 2011Canada Council for the Arts – Travel Grant 2005Canada Council for the Arts – Travel Grant 2004Brissenden Scholarship - 1999Mary Catherine Gordon Memorial Scholarship - 1999CollectionsNational Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, CanadaThe Model, Sligo, IrelandVancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaNational Fine Arts Museum of Québec, Québec, CanadaFine Arts Museum of Montréal, Montréal, CanadaMuseum of Contemporary Art of Montréal, Montréal, CanadaCaisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Montréal, CanadaSurrey Art Gallery, Surrey, CanadaGlenbow Museum, CanadaZabludowicz CollectionCity of Montréal, Montréal, CanadaNational Bank of Canada, Montréal, Montréal, CanadaToronto Dominion Bank, Toronto, CanadaBank of Montréal Collection, Montréal, CanadaRoyal Bank Collection, Montréal-Toronto-Vancouver, CanadaLoto-Québec, Montréal, CanadaPolygone, Vancouver, CanadaGranite Club, Toronto, Toronto, CanadaHeenan Blaikie, Montréal, CanadaCanaccord Capital, CanadaFasken Martineau Du Moulin, Vancouver, CanadaSenvest Collection, Montréal, CanadaArtist Talks/LecturesEmily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, CanadaUniversity of British Columbia, Vancouver, CanadaVancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, CanadaConcordia University, Montréal, CanadaNova Scotia College of Art and Design University, Halifax, CanadaUniversity of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, CanadaUniversité du Québec, Québec City, CanadaMusée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, Montréal, CanadaBlackwood Gallery, University of Toronto in Mississauga, Mississauga, CanadaCanadian Art - Gallery Hop (Equinox Gallery), Vancouver, CanadaVancouver Island School of ArtEducationEmily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver, CanadaConcordia University, Montréal, CanadaCollege Saint-Laurent, Montréal, Canada

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