The Golden Hour

The “golden hour” occurs twice a day, once at dawn and again at dusk, when the sun is low on the horizon. Yet “golden” remains a zenithal word, to denote the height of something, be it one’s golden years or the standard by which a value is at its greatest. This summer exhibition, drawn from the BAG’s collection, with curatorial contributions from the entire gallery team, presents work attentive to both ends of the sun’s daily journey.

Estonian artist Gita Teearu’s monochromatic etching Õitsime Loodus (Nature in Bloom) features an array of flowers, both grounded and afloat. At its centre, a dandelion, whose head is either in bloom or gone to seed. Surrounding it, the kinds of flowers gardeners purchase at nurseries—cosmos, petunias, columbine. That the dandelion’s head takes the place of the sun is a further elevation of its status.

In Mary Pratt’s colourful woodcut on paper Peaches in a Plastic Pot (1996), it is the sun’s encounter with a translucent container that produces two kinds of peaches: those dulled behind plastic and those poking out from it, their colours enhanced by direct light. Pratt employs the inverse effect with the tea towel beneath the pot. The portion of the towel exposed to sunlight is dulled, while the shaded side is more vibrant.

Additional artists include Vikky Alexander, Hana Amani, Gillian Armitage, Manuel Barbadillo, Joan Bell-Irving, Marcel Dzama, Gathie Falk, J.C. Heywood, Luke Marston, Gary Lee-Nova, lessLIE, Edna Myers, Hiromi Nakatsugawa, Mary Plumb Blade and Arnold Shives.

Opening reception June 12, 7–9pm

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