Exhibitions at the
Art Gallery of Mississauga

Organized and circulated by Art Mûr, Montréal Québec

A free shuttle bus will depart from the Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street W, Toronto ON) at 7 pm to the reception. There will be an informal talk by the artist at 8 pm. The shuttle bus will return by 9 pm.

From Grandma's cupcakes to oil drum tapestries. Cal Lane remembers watching her grandmother bake cupcakes, then cover them with paper doilies and sift icing sugar on top to create a decorative lace pattern. The fragility and frivolity of the sugar patterns contrasted with the solidity and substance of the cupcakes is a striking blend of tension and harmony that Lane draws upon for her art.

In Sweet Crude, Lane takes industrial objects like oil cans, and incises them with ornate patterns. The term “sweet crude” refers to the most sought-after form of petroleum, a resource that nations have fought to gain and to protect. However, the power struggles associated with crude oil are counter-balanced by the innocence and beauty suggested by the descriptor “sweet.” Lane’s art reflects the surprising harmony within this tension. Her oil cans are still recognizable as strictly functional, industrial objects, yet Lane has transformed them into intricate tapestries of mythology and landscapes. The masculinity of the oil cans is tempered by the femininity of textile-like designs, and the functionality of oil cans is contrasted with the purely aesthetic value of sculptures.

Lane’s choice of subject matter furthers her exploration of tension between harshness and delicacy – power struggles between coupling mythological beings are depicted along with pastoral animal-studded landscapes and more contemporary urban scenes. Whole worlds are mapped out and carved from the metal surfaces of oil cans, and a closer look reveals more detailed stories. In examining the power struggles of war or sex, a straightforward narrative is impossible, and in Lane’s art, this results in a tapestry of tales.

Lane has trained not only as an artist but also as a welder, and has honed her skills in forming industrial material into an artistic technique. The resulting fusions of functionality and aesthetics, industrialism and artistry, metal works and textile-like art are all expressed in Sweet Crude, on display at the Art Gallery of Mississauga until April 25th, 2010.