Art 330: Video Art and Sound II
Avenues: Video Art from Far Apart
April 15 - May 28, 2021
Gordon Snelgrove Gallery
Instructor: Steve Bates
Students: Emmanuella Aliu,
Throughout this strange and challenging time, the students of ART 330 have been thinking and making work reflecting on their unique experiences and the collective state of the world through technical experimentation, conceptual tactics and the aesthetic discourse of sound and moving image practice. This body of work is a product of these times and these distinct people. Themes of loneliness, isolation, joy, hopefulness, separation, collectivity, boredom, and humour were filtered through sound, vibration, light, colour, movement, repetition, loops, and long takes.
Working through the pandemic without access to what might be considered the usual video and audio equipment resources; cameras, lenses, filters, lights, microphones… this group of artists committed to working with the tools at hand; mostly mobile phones, laptop computers and the props of everyday life. Clearly these are already very powerful tools that have become ubiquitous for many of us. Still, the rigorous determination to make work and share it with each other remotely was done with an admirable spirit of camaraderie and solidarity.
I hope you enjoy this program of video art as much as I enjoyed the process of watching these works, and these artists, arrive at this time.
Steve Bates
Instructor, Art 330 Video Art and Sound II
Video Gallery
Emmanuella Aliu is a digital artist and designer who currently resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Emmanuella started to develop a love for animation when she was a little girl, and still today she indulges in watching cartoons and anime. She is a talented artist who mostly enjoys painting and drawing portraits of her environment and individuals surrounding it. She has always been inspired by artists who draw anime/cartoon characters create such intriguing and amazing animation works. She decided henceforth that she would become a digital designer and create high quality animations of her own.
Vince Aranda was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 2001. He is a visual artist whose main art practice is drawing and painting. In his early years he grew up with different media such as cartoons and music that inspired him to produce his own creations. As a child, he received much support from others for his artistic creations, particularly drawing. So much so it inspired a massive drive to create. This is evident as he has experimented in many forms of creative processes such as drawing, animating, music composition, video editing, and writing.
Gabrielle Da Silva is a student artist fascinated with the collaboration between digital and physical mediums. In her work, Gabrielle strongly focuses on the internal contrast, often achieved through layering images and spoken word. She is inspired by the colours and textures throughout the expressionist movement, especially those of Gabriele Münter, and Franz Marc. In regard to contemporary artists, she is inspired by Rora Blue, Cécil B. Evans, and Samuel Arsenault-Brassard. As for her interest in video art, Gabrielle credits her parents' love of referencing classic movies; however, it was only after she took a few university courses in video art and animation that she noticed her true passion for mixed media. Once committed to a project it is hard to get her to stop and take a break, especially after a critique which she uses as motivation to help push her forward. Gabrielle is an old soul and dreamer. She believes in possibility, and love, and holding on for another day. And as someone who has struggled with mental health disorders, Gabrielle strongly believes in mental health support. Born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Gabrielle still loves her hometown, and is currently in her 4th year BFA at the University of Saskatchewan. Gabrielle is constantly finding new ways to express herself and her surroundings throughout her work.
Ryley Heck is in his third year at Edwards School of Business. He has been interested in a large volume of art forms including sound, photography, and videography. He has developed a preference for filmmaking and graphic design and has designed and shot interviews and developed many video art projects. He is interested in how art relates to the world of business. Taking fine arts classes allows him to further develop his graphic design, photography, filmmaking, skills which have helped him succeed with many business projects throughout his university career. The capabilities he has acquired as a Business student taking fine art classes at the University of Saskatchewan has solidified his confidence in being able to work with these skills after graduation in meaningful ways.
Kelsey Keller is a 24 year old Studio Arts student, born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She enjoys making work with a focus on playful yet emotionally driven themes in both physical and digital formats. Keller often uses her work to communicate a feeling or shared human experience. Whether it is through video, photography, painting, or writing, Keller enjoys working through each step of the work in order to keep a constant flow of inspiration and creativity alive throughout the process. The goal is always to create something that is open to interpretation by many different people. Creating something that feels personal yet attainable to the consumer.
Chantelle Matkowski is a student at the University of Saskatchewan completing her final year of a Bachelor of Fine Arts - Honors Degree. She is an aspiring photographer who currently resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada who mainly shoots 120mm and 35mm colour film as well as black and white. Alongside photography, Matkowski experiments with multimedia art including video, sound, and animation. She grew up in Candle Lake, Saskatchewan where the majority of her artwork is inspired by the beautiful natural landscape. In her work, Matkowski likes to create art that makes the audience take a second and concentrate on the artwork to truly see what is happening within that space. Recently she had her BFA graduation exhibition and has had multiple exhibitions within her artistic career including shows in Saskatoon, China, and Newfoundland. Through this she has gained a wide knowledge of gallery procedures and installations.
Saskatchewan artist Kas Rea completed her University of Saskatchewan Certificate of Art and Design (USCAD) and attended Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus. Rea is currently enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She is a multi-disciplinary artist who practices acrylics, oils, watercolours, chalk pastels, video and sound art, sculpture and installation, photography and face/body painting. For Rea, her work often includes themes of self-reflection, feminism and the preservation of nature.
Ming Zhang is a Chinese student studying in Canada. She is in her third year pursuing an art degree from the University of Saskatchewan. As a child, Zhang liked to watch TV at home. She was often moved by the wonderful programs and animations on TV so she was keen to create work that expresses and describes her fantasies as seen in movies and anime. Because of her childhood experience, Zhang was very interested in video editing and animation production so she focused on studying video art and animation courses. Zhang likes to use narration to tell a story in her artworks trying to reflect her growth and positive life attitude recovered from previous unfavourable experiences. After Professor Birke’s guidance and advice, she now tries to use more abstract art in her work.
