With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, as comical as it is otherworldly, Marcel Dzama is one of Canada's most internationally successful artists.
As with most of Dzama's work, this image offers a cacophony of visual information with no clear explanation of what is occurring. While the figures, creatures, and elements of this scene are arranged in a singular grouping, different storylines are unfolding simultaneously.
In this carefully orchestrated artwork, several scenes are arranged around one another. Stretched and morphing bodies and limbs sit at the centre of the page, anchoring the composition. Almost like a ladder, other figures hang from, dance around, and climb onto the elongated limbs. The scenes are dark and mysterious, and, in typical form, Dzama leaves us with no explanation.
The cohesive and slightly muted color tones allow for some stillness among the frenzy of happenings. This work on paper is executed across four joined panels. This allows the artist to create a larger image than his typical works 8 x 12 works.
Despite the shrouded meaning behind the scene, Dzama has managed to orchestrate a visually balanced image. While the sense of a curious incompleteness may seem limiting, it's truly one of the most compelling aspects of Dzama's oeuvre. Evoking the same effects as incomplete storyboards or figurative Rorschach tests, his carefully composed images invite viewers to engage imaginatively--encouraging the weaving together of the "befores" and "afters" that surround the "nows" that each piece offers.
Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama would begin exhibiting internationally just a year after graduating from the University of Manitoba with early champions of his work including Jim Carrey and Nicholas Cage. In the 1990's, as one of the founding members of the Royal Art Lodge, Dzama contributed to the renaissance of figurative art and simultaneously put Winnipeg on the map as a center for Canadian creativity.
Dzama's work can be found in a host of prestigious public and private collections including Paris' Centre Georges Pompidou, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MoMA, Le Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. He is particularly favored by celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey and Steve Martin.
Questions about this artwork? Email us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.
"The Hidden, the unknowable and the unthinkable"
Canada, 2007
Four-part drawing: Ink, watercolor, and graphite on paper
Signed recto, titled and dated verso
13.75"H 10.5"W (each sheet)
27.5"H 21.25"W (overall)
31.75"H 25.75"W (framed)
Very good condition
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