tyson atkings… solo exhibition closing reception on June 1st. Come and join us for a drink to celebrate Tyson’s exhibition. Regina’s own Andy Shauf will also be performing! The reception will start at 7pm.
Artist statement”
This body of work continues an approach to drawing begun in my undergraduate studies at the University of Saskatchewan. These drawings present dream-like imagery and stylized archetypes that are manifestations of psychoanalytic concepts. The repeated symbols, emotional expressions and narrative gestures reveal an underlying neuroticism that has both personal and social issues.
The artworks are simultaneously conscious constructions and spontaneous (unconscious) expressions. This method allows a personal catharsis while also allowing me to present issues larger than myself relating to contemporary image culture. I am interested in social issues such as the idealized beauty presented in mass culture, collective amnesia regarding the power of visual culture, and the invasiveness of corporate branding and advertising.
Thank you for looking.
- t j atkings…
Artist Biography:
- 1989 – Born tongue-tied and with one kidney.
- 2006 – Addicted to caffeine (enters work-force)
- 2007 – Addicted to nicotine (enters the academy)
- 2010 – Learns perpetual confusion leads to ambiguity in his art, and that ambiguity allows art critics to say whatever the hell they want.
- 2012 – Opens solo show in Saskatoon in April and in Regina in May.
About Andy Shauf:
Introductions can be passive, rushed, and less than sincere. Then there is the record “Darker Days”, the formal introduction to Andy Shauf, with a distinctly opposite experience. Barely past 20 years of age, Andy serves up a collection of new-folk pop songs that begin and end with sincerity and meaning, patiently unwinding a theme of memories and moving on. It is a remarkably mature display of craft by a young man writing beyond his years. Citing recent influences such as Hayden and Wilco, Darker Days combines a handful of distinct flavors, creating an incredible collision of songs that are all at once Sufjan and Sam Beam, and a kid doing nothing to mask an old soul.
Darker Days ironically unveils an indie veteran, by many standards. Andy began playing in bands at age 14, recording by 16, and had three independent EPs before the age of 20, playing those songs across Western Canada in local halls, coffee shops, and basement parties. This new release, his first full-length recorded in a studio, marks the beginning of his relationship with emerging indie label Shameless Records Canada; perhaps also marking the shedding of youth, of small-town restraints, and the national introduction of a significant new song writer.
Born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Andy has moved his youth around the prairies, acquiring a unique respect for western life and an impressive collection of hometowns. Song writing and performing became deeply ingrained, from his final year of high school into the nomadic final teen years, when Andy began to hone the skill and commitment of an artist. The results of these years are assembled on Darker Days. Andy handles all of the instrumentation himself, the incredible vocal arrangements and song writing
