META PAINTING WITH ALLAN SWITZER


You Can’t Always, 2012, acrylic on linen, 72 x 96” 

Allan asked two authors to contribute texts on his work for this exhibition. Below is a segment from Sunshine Frère's essay: Meta painting with Allan Switzer.  Stay tuned later this week, on the blog we will post an excerpt from Douglas Coupland's writing about Allan's work. 

See Me Feel Me represents a body of painting that is exponentially meta. Yet, Switzer hasn’t simply produced paintings about painting(s), he has made an affective body of work that philosophically, and aesthetically explores: what the viewer can ask of a painting about paintings, what the painter can ask the viewer to ask of a painting about paintings, and what the painting itself can ask of the viewer and the painter.   

From first glance, Switzer’s painting is overwhelming, the deeper one dives into its hyper-visual fold, the more disorienting the effect. Synchronous bursts of vivid colours and abstraction, give way to layering, grids, and movement. At the same time all of this action is perceived, the paintings also reveal a sense of extreme clarity and isolated perfection.

As eyes randomly wander over the layers of abstraction, the mind seeks to make sense of the colourful shapes. After a moment of observation, these forms become words, and soon thereafter, looped and contrasting song lyrics are deciphered. The symbolism held within these lyrics evokes waves of nostalgia, from there, a didactic curiosity is also triggered. Are the lyrics meant for the viewer, the painting, or the patron who acquires the work? Perhaps these are the tantric realisations of the artist as he exorcises sentiments from his own life and artistic process directly into the painting. In order to truly seeSwitzer’s work one must first look at it meta-contextually, through its topography, colourful composition, lyricism and through time itself.

- Sunshine Frère

To read the full essay on Allan's show by Sunshine, visit : http://artotate.tumblr.com/post/37677314136/meta-painting-with-allan-switzer

Desperate Measures, 2012, acrylic on linen, 72 x 96” 
Polka Dots and Stars Series, 2012, ink, acrylic and graphite on paper
Switzer Working in his Studio, 2012
Winsor Gallery is very proud to be showing new work by Allan Switzer from December 2012 - January 2013. Below are some examples of work you will see at the gallery. Stop in to view these paintings in person, as on the screen they do not capture half as much of the vivacity found within each work. 

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