NELL TENHAAF: FIT/UNFIT. A SURVEY

June 23 – July 31, 2004
Vernissage: Tuesday, June 22, 2004
5:30 pm to 8 pm


From June 23rd to July 31st the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery presents Nell Tenhaaf: Fit/Unfit. A Survey. This exhibition of installation art and multimedia projects covers more than fifteen years of Tenhaaf’s artistic production. Her work points to both the limits and potential of cross-disciplinary interpretations of the body through artistic, scientific, and technological practices.

The human body and its mysteries have been the subject of intense cultural and scientific debate over the past two decades and Tenhaaf’s art reflects the ever-changing nature of these discussions. Through the combination of modern biotechnologies and Classical mythology, she explores the body as a complex but fragile site of human enquiry. Specially designed interactive systems within her artwork enable viewers to engage these issues in unique and dynamic ways.

Nell Tenhaaf has exhibited her art extensively across Canada, the United States, and Europe. She obtained a MFA from Concordia University and she currently holds the position of Associate Professor of New Media and Interdisciplinary Studio at York University. Tenhaaf’s work is represented in numerous public and private collections.

Nell Tenhaaf: Fit/Unfit. A Survey is curated by Linda Jansma, Curator at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. This exhibition is accompanied by a full-colour, bilingual catalogue that includes an introductory text by Jansma, an essay by Kim Sawchuk, writer and Associate Professor in Communication Studies, and an interview between
the artist and cultural theorist Dot Tuer.

This exhibition is organized and circulated by The Robert McLaughlin Gallery with the collaboration of the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton.

On the day of the vernissage, Nell Tenhaaf and Kim Sawchuk will give a tour of the exhibition while engaging in a discussion of topics as they relate to the artist’s work.
Please refer to our invitation or our website for details.

  

 

Orphaned Life-Form, 1995
Duratrans, aluminum, plexiglass electronically-controlled light sequence
107 x 42.5 x 17 cm