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Landscapes of Abstraction
Odon Wagner Contemporary
February 9 - March 2, 2013
Odon Wagner Contemporary presents “Landscapes of Abstraction”, a collective exhibition featuring the paintings of Ron Kingswood, Bruno Kurz, Ricardo Mazal, Willy Ramos and
Gideon Tomaschoff.
The works in this exhibition build upon the lexicon of modern painting conventions, offering fresh
insights to contemporary landscape painting. Inspired by atmospheric conditions encountered on their
global journeys, each artist examines the sublime and often tempestuous environment of our planet.
Ron Kingswood’s playful yet carefully crafted abstracts contain the natural world at their core.
Searching for a deeper response to landscapes, specifically forested areas that have evolved
from some form of disturbance, has taken him away from pictorial representation and closer to a
metaphorical stance. The remains of these spaces or “ruins”, as the artist refers to them, have
become Kingswood’s subject. Whether caused naturally or as a result of a commercial endeavor,
his portrayals do not aim to reveal empathy or contentment towards the affected environment.
They are instead abstract compositions that reveal the pure and natural qualities of the
space through the eyes of the artist.
Bruno Kurz’s Argyll and Hebrides Cycles are inspired by trips Kurz made to the Hebrides, a
cluster of islands off the coast of Scotland. In winter months, light is sparse and days are short.
Weather is influenced by powerful Atlantic storms that pound the western Coast of Scotland. His latest
series, Huron Cycle, was produced after his visit to Canada for his inaugural Canadian exhibition at
Odon Wagner Contemporary, during which he explored Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula and the shores
of Lake Huron. Active clouds dart around the sky while rainfall and winds battle against the earth and
water. The result is sublime environmental conditions lasting a few minutes to a few seconds. Afterwards, calmness pervades the landscapes. Kurz captures these natural forces through expressive
brushwork over metallic and wood panels. Gouged surfaces and horizontal layers provide clear
compositional order. The coloured space, when viewed in silence, appears to pulsate in fields of
light providing the viewer a window into the volatile yet serene landscape of Scotland and Canada.
Ricardo Mazal is one of Mexico’s most accomplished contemporary artists, painting in his studios
in Sante Fe and New York City. His large format oil paintings, inspired by his journey to Tibet’s most
sacred mountain, Mount Kailash, exhibit a desire to explore far into the fabric of the canvas
emphasizing pure line and colour. Black and white streaks of paint signify the snow-streaked surface of the mountain, while repetitious blues, reds and tangerines hint the passage of time, not
by illustrating events but by leaving their residue to dissipate in space like a still photography of a
speeding object blurred into abstraction. The viewer must abandon one-dimensional thoughts and
search further into the many dimensions that are prevalent in the art to grasp the vastness of the
landscapes that Mazal creates.
Willy Ramos’s large scale, exuberantly coloured paintings reflect the influence of his visually rich
homeland, Columbia. With expressionistic mark making, Ramos’ paintings function as abstract
rhythms of light and colour, organized in harmonious compositions that are both balanced and energized. He paints an idea about nature, rather than a literal depiction of the landscape before him
and renders them in a reductive, simplified manner. Ramos was born in Colombia in 1954. He currently resides and paints in Valencia, Spain and teaches at the Escuela Bellas Artes in San Carlos.
Gideon Tomaschoff’s work is often inspired by the landscapes of Central and South America.
Aged stone and adobe walls of Oaxaca, Mexico that have been beaten and stained by the earth’s
elements reveal the passage of time as layers of colour become visible. Bright blue patches of pigment become dull grays; a spot of worn ochre reveals a sullen sage. Gideon uses these rugged
surfaces, with their unintentional beauty, as a metaphor for their external surroundings. Like the
weather against the ancient walls, Tomaschoff treats his canvases rigorously using tools such as a
builder’s knife and spatulas.
Front Cover: Bruno Kurz, Day Between Night (Huron Cycle),
acrylic, oil on metal plate, 49 x 49 inches
Ron Kingswood, Untitled, Mixed media on canvas, 63 x 51 inches
Ron Kingswood, Blue Field, Oil and mixed media on canvas, 80 x 77 inches
Ron Kingswood, L’Aterlier, Mixed m
media on canvas, 62 x 104 inches
Bruno Kurz, Where is Sandy (Huron Cycle), Acrylic, oil on canvas, 71 x 71 inches
Bruno Kurz, White Autumn (Huron Cycle), Acrylic, oil on metal plate, 39 x 39 inches
Ricardo Mazal, Abril 8.04, Oil on linen, 46 x 54 inches
Ricardo Mazal, Kora C20, Oil on linen,
Ricardo Mazal, Kailash M17, Oil on linen, 63 x 102 inches
Ricardo Mazal, Septiembre 25.11, Oil on linen, 78 x 105 inches
Willy Ramos, Para Estar Juntos, Oil on canvas, 71 x 78.5 inches
Willy Ramos, Pintado Para Ti, Oil on canvas, 71 x 78.5 inches
Gideon Tomaschoff, From Outside, Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
Gideon Tomaschoff, Little Sound, Oil on board, 37 x 37 inches
Gideon Tomaschoff, Variables,
, Oil on canvas, 42 x 68 inches
Ron Kingswood
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012 Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto, Ontario
2010 St.Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre, St.Thomas, Ontario
2006 Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2005 Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
2001 Marin-Harris Gallery, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 Art Toronto, Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
J. Cacciola Gallery, New York, NY
2011 Art Toronto, Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
2010 Art Chicago, Jonathan Cooper Gallery, London, UK
2008 The London Art Fair, Jonathan Cooper, Park Walk Gallery, London, UK
Francis Caprani, Ron Kingswood, Brian Saby, The Bank Job, London, UK
2007 Loveland Museum, Loveland, Colorado
2006 Jonathan Cooper, Park Walk Gallery, London, England
2003-04 Canada House Gallery, Banff, Alberta
2002 Douglaas Udell Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta & Vancouver, British Columbia
1998 Spanierman Gallery, New York, New York
SELECTED MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS
2000-04 Western Visions Miniature Show, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
2000 The Single Tree, Museum London, London, Ontario
1998-01Wilderness Reunion, Algonquin Museum, Algonquin Park, Ontario
1998 80 Years of Experiment 1912-1992, Beal Art, Museum London, London, Ontario
1992-93Southwestern Art Exhibit, Museum London, London, Ontario
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
Ella Sharp Museum of Art, Jackson, Michigan
Foothills Art Centre, Golden, Colorado
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin
London Museum, London, ON
National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
The Rooms (The Museum of Newfoundland & Labrador), St.John’s, Newfoundland
St.Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre, St.Thomas, ON
The Virginia Museum of Animal Art, Charlottesville, Virginia
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Weston Foundation, Toronto, Ontario
World Wildlife Fund, Gland, Switzerland
York Finch General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario
Ella Sharp Museum of Art, Jackson, Michigan
Bruno Kurz
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012 Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
Kunstkontor Ulf Larsson, Cologne
London Art Gallery at Wesner
2011 Galerie Mollwo, Basel/Riehen, Switzerland
2010 Galerie Peerlings, Krefeld, Germany
Galerie Alfred Knecht, Karlsruhe, Germany
Galerie P13, Heidelberg, Germany
2009 Galerie Wesner, Konstanz, Germany
Galerie Fetzer, Sontheim an der Brenz, Germany
2008 Galerie Mollwo, Riehen
2007 Galerie Konigsblau, Stuttgart, Germany
2003 Galerie Alfred Knecht
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 Art Toronto, Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
2011 Galerie Mollwo, Riehen, Germany
2010 Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, Germany
Galerie Mollwo, Riehen
Galerie Schindel, Freiburg, Germany
2009 Galerie Mollwo, Riehen
2006 Galerie Mollwo, Riehen
2005 Galerie Mariette Haas, Ingolstadt, Germany
2003 Galerie Epikur, Wuppertal, Germany
1991 Kunstverein Heilbronn, Germany
SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
2006 Project funding of the Federal Cultural Foundation Germany
2004 Co-founder exhibition platform “Neuer Kunstraum Karlsruhe”
1998 Travel grant for the project “Heimat” to Northern Europe
1988/89 Grant from the Arts Foundation of Baden-Württemberg
1986 Project grant from the Art Fund Bonn
Ricardo Mazal
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012 Musseo Estación Indianilla, Mexico City, Mexico
Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2011 Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2010 Elins Eagle-Smith Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Museo Abstracto Manuel Felguerez, Zacatecas, ZC, Mexico
2009 Museum of Art, Queretaro, Queretaro, QRO, Mexico
Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2008 Odenwald 1152, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York, NY
Dwight Hackett Projects, Santa Fe, NM
2007 Mas Art Moderno y Contemporáneo, Barcelona, Spain
2006 Centro de las Artes, Pinacoteca, Monterrey, NL, Mexico & Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, AZ
2005 Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City, Mexico
2004 Mas Art Moderno y Contemporáneo, Barcelona, Spain
2002 The Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM
Galería Ramis Barquet, New York, NY
2001 Galerie 89, Aarwangen, Switzerland
2000 Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO), Monterrey, NL, Mexico
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto, Canada
2011 Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Hong Kong, China
2010 Museum of Art, Queretaro, Queretaro, QRO, Mexico
2008 Scottsdale Museum of Comtemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ
2007 Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
2006 Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, Mexico
2003 Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO), Monterrey, NL
2001 Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, Mexico, organized by the Mexican Ministry of Culture
2000 The Mexican Cultural Institute, New York, NY
AWARDS
2010 Creador Artistico, Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (FONCA) 2010, Mexico.
2002 Creador Artistico, Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (FONCA) 2002, Mexico.
1998 Creador Artistico, Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (FONCA) 1998, Mexico.
1991 Pollock Krassner Foundation, New York
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Cirque du Soleil, Montreal, QC, Canada
Museo de Arte Moderno (MAM), Mexico City, Mexico
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Museo de Arte Abstracto Manuel Felguérez, Zacatecas, Mexico
Banco de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Deutsche Bank, New York, NY USA and Germany
Willy Ramos
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012 Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
2010 Bisel Gallery, Cartagena, Spain
2009 Gallery ART HALL. Alicante, Spain
2008 Quinta Galeria (Bogota) Colombia.
2007 Am Schweizer Platz Gallery, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Colombia Embassy (Madrid) Spain
2006 Peter Bartlow Gallery. Chicago, U.S.A
Galería Zangbieri. Basel, Switzerland.
2005 Odon Wagner Gallery. Toronto, Canada
2004 Museo de la Ciudad. Valencia, Spain
2003 Galeria CC 22. Madrid, Spain
2002 Fundacion Caja Murcia. Madrid, Spain
Casa de Cultura Pucol. Valencia, Spain
Casa de Cultura San Pedro del Pinatar. Murcia, Spain
1999 Galeria Rosalia Sender. Valencia, Spain
Galeria CC 22. Madrid, Spain
Karagato. Javea, Spain
Galeria Art al Rec. Barcelona, Spain
1998 Galeria CC 22. Madrid, Spain
Iglesia de San Estaban. Murcia, Spain
Centro Cultural de la CAM Alicante. Alicante, Spain
Centro Cultural del Ayuntamiento. Castellon, Spain
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011 Art Toronto with Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
2010 Art Toronto with Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
Encuentros, Cuba – Spain, Retiro, Madrid, Art Madrid
International Art Fair, Vanrell Gallery, Mallorca.
Sianoja, International Artists Symposium in Noja (Santander) Spain.
Colombia Bicentury. La Petxina Cultural Exhibition (Valencia) Spain
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Elche, Spain
Museo Salvador Allende, Santiago de Chile, Chile
Museo Popular de Arte Contemporaneo de Villafames, Spain
Museo de Valledupar, Colombia
Museo de Arte Moderno de Pedralba, Valencia, Spain
Banco de la Republica, Bogota, Spain
Fundacion Cultural CAM, Murcia, Spain
Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Spain
Universidad Nacional Autonoma, Mexico
Gideon Tomaschoff
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012 Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
2011 Art Society of Monchengladbach, Germany
2010 Julie M Gallery, Tel Aviv
2009 Odon Wagner Contemporary
2008 Reece Galleries, NY
2007 Cohen Rese Gallery, San Francisco
2006 Odon Wagner Contemporary
2005 Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2004 Newzones Gallery, Calgary
1999 Edward Day Gallery
1998 Edward Day Gallery, Kingston
1997 Gallery 7, Toronto
1997 The Spanish Centre, Toronto
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 Odon Wagner Contemporary
2005-10 Art Toronto (formerly TIAF), with Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
2007 Canada in New York, Parca Biennale, 511 Gallery, NY
2006 Cohen Rese Gallery, San Francisco
2005 Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto
2004 Steam Whistle Brewery, Toronto
2002-04 Toronto International Art Fair (TIAF)
2002 Newzones Gallery, Calgary
1999 Propeller Gallery, Toronto
1999 Ward Nasse Gallery, NY
1999 Edward Day Gallery, Toronto and Kingston
1997 Third Rail Visual Arts Festival, Toronto
1996 Society of Canadian Artists Annual Exhibition, JB Aird Gallery, Toronto
COLLECTIONS
AltaLink, Calgary
Baycrest Hospital, Toronto
Beit Halochem, Tel Aviv, Israel
Charles Crug Winery, Napa Valley
Dynatec, Toronto
Elements, Toronto
Rothschild Canada Inc., Toronto
Rudson Valuation Group, Toronto
Sherbanuk Metals Marketing, Toronto
Simon, Turnbull & Martin, Washington
Sun Life Financial, Toronto
TD Canada Trust, Toront
198 Davenport Road, Toronto, Ontario M5R 1J2 Canada
416 962 0438 or 800 551 2465
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