Michael Hermesh and Fahri Aldin: Figures and Forms

Sept 1 – 20th, 2022

This joint exhibition brings together Michael Hermesh and Fahri Aldin, Canadian contemporary artists who utilize the flattened human form within a tableau, shaping snapshots of human foolishness and intimacy.

Their investigation of humanity through symbolism and abstraction ignores representationalism in favour of highlighting narrative. The artists place their characters in a flat world, in which the hero is comparable to an actor on a stage. A collector of Hermesh’s work might purpose his subject isn’t a human figure at all, but rather the overarching experience of humanity and its follies. Expanding on these narratives, Hermesh explains, “Our functional narratives come from agreements, habits, misunderstandings and fears as well as rational insight. I am not saying we are all confused madmen; I am saying we are human to a fault.”

Complimenting the almost purely symbolic dramas of their two-dimensional works, the artists present multiple bronze sculptures. The bronze pieces remain both lighthearted and deceivingly lightweight, as the artists manipulate the medium in their documentation of humanity.