Stir Q&A: Tiko Kerr on the artistic process behind PLEXUS
The prolific and renowned artist shares insight into his current exhibition at Mónica Reyes Gallery
Tiko Kerr, Molecular Theory, 2020, acrylic on acrylic 3 (17 x 17”) x 2 framed.
TIKO KERR, ONE of Canada’s most prolific and renowned artists, is also a philanthropist, educator, and social activist. Mentored by Jack Shadbolt, he has said that the job of an artist is to enhance the lives of those around them.
To do that in the era of COVID-19, Kerr has taken paintbrush to plexiglass. His new exhibition, PLEXUS: A Vaccine Against the Conventional, is now showing at Mónica Reyes Gallery (602 East Hastings Street).
Shatter-proof plastic is now a part of daily life, hung or bolted in places never before seen, from high-end restaurants to grocery checkouts. As Kerr describes in his artist statement, it protects us, and it also isolates us.
In the tradition of Cy Twombly and Jackson Pollock, Kerr’s paintings “may also offer a small window onto an indescribable cosmos”.
Here, Kerr shares thoughts on his new exhibition with Stir.
What can you tell us about this particular body of work?
“This body of work is my response to our extraordinary contemporary moment where we are not only dealing with a insidious pandemic but the veracity and accuracy of socio-political issues that we have long relied upon have become deliberately obscured, so that transparency and clarity can no longer be taken for granted.”
What can you tell us about your choice of materials?
“I am utilizing plexiglass, a common utilitarian material that has recently taken on new value and prominence as a protective barrier. It’s how the material qualities of transparency, reflectivity and refractivity can be altered and obscured by a network of interference that is at the heart of my investigation.”
Tiko Kerr, Heirs of the Night, 2020, acrylic and collage on acrylic 2 x (7 x 17”) x 2 framed
How would you like the viewer to interact with these new works?
“Each composition in PLEXUS is a conversation between three panes of plexiglass, which challenges the continuum between 2D and 3D formats and instigates us to question what we are looking at.”
How does PLEXUS relate to your previous work?
“My recent inquiries into collage and the affinities that are created between forms are enhanced by working in this new medium in order to further the conversation into the deeper reaches of the picture plane.”
Tiko Kerr, Dreams of Flight, 2020, acrylic on acrylic, 3 x (17 x 17”) x 2 framed
What can you tell us about your choices of colour?
“I’ve long been interested in the emotive force of colour. And my aim of these compositions in saturated tones in acrylic paint and oil bar is to give respite from the ever-darkening days of the past 12 months.”
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