John Burgess and Les Ramsay at Field Contemporary

Artists: John Burgess and Les Ramsay

Exhibition title: Retreat of the Horstman

Venue: Field Contemporary, Vancouver, Canada

Date: May 20 – June 25, 2016

Photography: images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Field Contemporary

The domestic day to day, the creep of noon over the table cloth. Short slacked heroes pose as ghosts with no more moves to make. The bastion of bishops and knights defeatedly guard the remaining company.

Halls fill with air from pastoral pictures. A canopy of trees is a reminder of the passing years.

Objects relay time has set in.

Retreat of the Horstman explores the legacies and measurements held in the understanding of time as it refers to history, perception, and geological measurement. Burgess’ tableaus present scenes of neoclassical renditions of still lives and architectural interiors in situations of unease and uncertainty. His series ‘Time is Up’ is a reminder that there is an imminent event unfolding around us. Hour glasses hovering around central objects are painted with diminishing grains of sand at different increments implying an unknown ending. Ramsay’s (de)constructivist paintings made from new and used material are nostalgic tapestries. Important events and characters are displayed fragmented from their original designs implying a fracture in their history. New timelines are created as multiple images merge with one another.

John Burgess is a multidisciplinary artist based in Vancouver BC. Burgess graduated from Emily Carr University in 2008. He has exhibited in Australia, the United States, Germany, and Canada. Burgess’ paintings and sculptures reference familiar architectural space and time as it corresponds to a lifecycle.

Les Ramsay creates his works by recycling the excess of everyday domestic objects and uses both constructive and deconstructive collage methodologies to develop formal compositions. He currently lives and works in Vancouver, BC. He’s studied visual arts at the Emily Carr University, at the Universitat de Politecnica in Valencia and has most recently completed his MFA in the Painting & Drawing department at Concordia University. He’s currently represented by Galerie Antoine Ertaskiran, Montreal. His work has been exhibited in Canada, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, and in the United States.