Remixing art history
Artist Grier Edmundson looks back with new exhibition The Work Ahead of Us
by Tania Mohsen
Grier Edmundson’s model of the “Monument to the Third International.” PHOTO RILEY SPARKS
By remixing the work of his forefathers, artist Grier Edmundson hopes to create something visionary enough to make his own mark on history.
His new exhibition, The Work Ahead Of Us, is not about conveying a message. Edmundson’s work sprouts instead from his interest in the past.
“It’s an insight to what I’m thinking about,” he said at the Nov. 5 vernissage.
Edmundson described his work as “diverse.” Among the many pieces featured at the gallery, there were works inspired by styles ranging from classicism to pop art, impressionism to expressionism. In the dead centre of the gallery is propped a larger-than-life white painted replica of the “Monument to the Third International,” a structure planned—yet never built—by Russian artist Vladimir Tatlin.
The eclecticism of styles illustrates Edmundson’s primary inspiration: his interest in exploring art history.
Born in Memphis, Tenn., Grier Edmundson said he has let his artistic instincts guide his hands in the creation of art since he the age of 13. He started exhibiting when he was in art school. Edmundson said he felt that the places he has lived have had a significant impact on his work, which, besides Memphis, include Baltimore and Glasgow. The Work Ahead of Us is the artist’s first exhibition in Montreal, where he has lived since January.
Edmundson said he believes in the evolution of an artist’s style over time, saying that an artist’s legacy should be viewed more as “a body of work over a period of time instead of a single big splash.”
Grier Edmundson’s exhibition The Work Ahead of Us shows at the Battat Contemporary (7245 Alexandra #100) until Dec. 19.
The Link Volume 31 Issue 01