Behind the Yellow Line
Jason Hallows, Adam Matak, Rachael Wong
Behind the Yellow Line is a curated exhibition featuring the work of Jason Hallows, Adam Matak and Rachael Wong. The show positions several of Matak’s Museum Patrons to view pieces from Hallow’s Benchworks series and Wong’s Red Effect in an exploration of gallery going. Referring to security measures enforced by certain museums and galleries that protect artwork from bodily contact, the title considers institutional systems as regulators and constructors of our viewing habits.
Using a style synonymous with graphic novels and a scale and shape reminiscent of foam core super hero cutouts, Matak’s Patrons invite gallery visitors to reflect upon their own viewing patterns from a safe distance. Although painted on both sides, the Patrons do not have a front. The works become aesthetic objects as they deny facial connection, however, they remain approachable and familiar as they check their watches and slouch with boredom.
In Behind the Yellow Line, Matak’s Museum Patrons interact with sculptural works by Jason Hallows and Rachael Wong. Hallow’s Benchworks series is an exploration of sculpture-making. Building from salvaged studio materials, and undertaking a process of constructing, deconstructing and reconstructing; the pieces are as much a studio practice as they are a sculptural product. Wong’s Red Effect uses affixed pieces of blown glass to break the two-dimensional surface of a painted wall. Though appearing simple, the work in painstakingly installed, necessarily responding to cast shadows and site-specific light patterns.
Jason Hallows was born and raised in a ghost town, completed his undergraduate studies at the Ontario College of Art and Design and received an MFA from the University of Guelph. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Art and Visual Culture program at the University of Western Ontario. He has exhibited in Canada, the US and in Europe and is currently do-director/curator (with Anna Madelska) of The Parker Branch - an independent micro-museum and archive.
Adam Matak was born in 1977, in Wallaceburg, a charming town in south-western Ontario, nestled on the banks of the Sydenham River. He has lived in Windsor, Oakville, and London. The artist now lives and works in Toronto with is fiance Phillipa Chong, a cultural sociologist who studies the sociology of success.
Rachael Wong works primarily in installation with blown glass elements involving play, communication and experience. She holds a BFA in Glass from the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary and an MFA in Sculpture/Dimensional Studies from Alfred University in New York State. She has been a resident in the Glass Studio at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto as well as a resident in Glass and Flameworking at the Living Arts Centre.
