handmade velvet satellite: Robert Youds

Robert Youds is showing new work at Deluge Contemporary, his first solo exhibition since his show of paintings at Barbara Edwards Contemporaryin Toronto in 2018. Born in Burnaby, now based inVictoria, Youds earned an MFA from York University, Toronto, in 1982. He has had a long career teaching painting in the Visual Arts department at the University of Victoria and is now professor emeritus. Youds is a highly regarded artist with an impressive exhibition history across Canada, the USA, Mexico and China, with many works in public art collections. Trained as a painter, he is a multimedia artist, unrestricted by methodologies, who uses painting, sculpture, photography and design to create austere but deeply resonant configurations of light, glass, colours and aluminum (among other materials).

Youds’ work is especially interesting and richbecause of his own very purposeful writing, including the titles he gives to his pieces. His writings about his work, and his artist talks as well (available on his website), reveal a depth of knowledge about and an enmeshment with art history and contemporary art, including popular culture, which opens up almost limitless allusive potential. It’s poetry.

Youds writes: “While I may not set out consciously to create the ‘magical’ in my art — I am interested in stimulating the power of close looking. Believing that close looking can be both enchanting and also lead to profound thought on everything from aesthetics to deep intellectual/philosophic insights. I feel most great historical and contemporary works of art holdthese qualities.”

Opening reception Sep 9, 7pm

deluge.ca; robertyouds.ca