Three Hundred Sixty Degrees Between Analysis and Perception
Jesse Thomas Stilwell
In this exhibition, the works investigate colour theory ranging from those proposed by Victor Vasarely to Clement Greenberg. The works also engage with the resulting tension and response.
– Daniel Lindley, curator
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March 1st – June 1st 2016
Reception: Thursday April 7th 5:00-7:00PM
505 8th Ave SW, Calgary, AB
Please join the Calgary Allied Arts Foundation in celebrating our new exhibition, Three Hundred Sixty Degrees Between Analysis and Perception by former CAAF artist in residence Jesse Thomas Stilwell.
Jesse Stilwell is a emerging painter/installation artist and arts educator. His work centers around optical art, perception, and illusion. Through the use of pattern, math, and color theory his work explores the depths of the eye/brain system and its relationship to visual perception. After studying Stilwell’s artistic practice it becomes clear he is essentially a visual scientific researcher interested in setting up psycho-physical experiences using art as a vehicle for communication of visual phenomena. Through a in-depth understanding of neurology and it’s connection to vision, Jesse organizes works that take place within us inside our eyes and brains physiologically. Interested in electromagnetic events that evoke powerful sensations in viewers such as hallucination, dizziness, and even vertigo. This interrogation at times even agitation of the visual system allows his work to break down some of the sociological boarders that exist between viewer and artwork. No conceptual notion of art/meaning or idealogical system helps us to understand his work. When we observe a work it functions on us immediately exerting is energy into us chemically prompting a neurological reaction in us. This experience is purely visual, an outside force the art object creates a internal stimulation in the viewer.
Born in Montreal, Quebec Stilwell currently resides and operates his studio practice in Calgary, Alberta, a member of the Bakery studio collective. He received his BFA with distinction from the Alberta college of Art + Design in 2012. An arts educator at the University of Calgary , he is a specialist in color theory and abstraction. A nominee for the 2012 BMO award. His work and practice have been documented in a series of published articles both web based and in print. Stilwell’s work has been exhibited across Canada and in areas in United States.
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Gallery 505 is Calgary’s newest public art venue curated by the Calgary Allied Arts Foundation (CAAF). This new space “Gallery 505” is a reference to its street address at 505 – 8th Ave SW. This high pedestrian traffic area will now give CAAF a street presence and extend our footprint into the Calgary cultural scene. Here on display you will see artworks on loan from the Civic Art Collection, as well as previous participants from CAAF’s Artist in Residence Program.
The Civic Art Collection contains over 1000 works of art and the collection is the pride and joy of The City of Calgary. For many years, CAAF has provided acquisition funds for the collection, which has allowed the number to grow. The artworks date from 1850 to the present and include the names of some of Calgary’s most recognized historic and contemporary artists.
The footprint for the gallery is not large but it is dynamic. Every aspect has been considered from the design of the interior to the environmental concerns associated with displaying artwork. We are ever so grateful to donor 679 Capital for seeing Gallery 505 come to fruition. By collaborating with CAAF, we hope to enrich the community in the core and further promote Calgary’s vibrant art scene.