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Surface Play
September 7- 29, 2023
Samara Contemporary,
Toronto, Canada
Surface Play is an exhibition of new work by Canadian textile artists Lindy Fyfe and Ruth Adler, curated by Rafi Ghanaghounian. The exhibition is an exploration of the artists’ respective investigations into textile as painting. Both Adler and Fyfe employ textiles as the chief component in their work, however their approaches contain more similarities than their outcomes.
Fyfe, who works with recycled fabric from thrift shops, breathes new life into discarded materials through harnessing their existing forms and patterns, translating them into new compositions. This creative and intuitive process results in abstract compositions that strongly reference the masters of modernist painting including Rothko and Mondrian, but also hint at the earth’s topographic surfaces.
Adler's similar creative impulse is reflected in the vibrant assemblages she constructs through material conversations. When looking at the structural appearance of her works, it becomes clear that Adler gains inspiration from anatomy and architecture, among other things. Utilizing textile remnants as well as water-based inks and paints, her pieces reference the aesthetics of fashion and other cultural forms.