September 27, 2007 | Download PDF
Strategies of the Millipede
Three of Toronto's emerging artists have been collaborating for three years under the name Z'otz*. Together they create watercolour and mixed media pieces that illustrate a provocative yet playful surrealist art. In consecutive years the collective has won awards at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition: 2006 – Honourable Mention in watercolour; 2007 – Drawing Award. Last year the collective's work was presented at the Toronto International Art Fair. Earlier this year they exhibited at the Art Gallery of Peterborough and were awarded a residency in Serbia over the summer.
From October 12 to November 10, Spence Gallery presents "Strategies of the Millipede" - one of the rare exhibits with the work of the collective, Z'otz* along with that of its three individual artists. Three artists, drawn from a Latin background, make up the award-winning collective that is Z'otz*:
Nahúm Flores (Honduras), a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, has been exhibiting since 1996. Recently he was one of six winners in the Biennale of Visual Arts of Honduras, and went on to represent Honduras in the Central American Biennale. Nahúm's mixed media work is a fusion of drawing and matter, intuitively processed, that gives voice to his subconscious. His expressive, amorphous forms reflect a concern for the natural environment and for the human condition.
Erik Jerezano (Mexico), a self-taught artist and graphic designer, has been exhibiting continuously since arriving in Toronto in 2001. In 2005, his work was selected by the Drawing Center Viewing program in New York. Erik's work is visceral and intuitive. He digests information floating in and around him, resulting in paintings and drawings where several layers of ideas co-exist and there is a seamless metamorphosis of human and animal forms.
Ilyana Martínez (Canada/Mexico), also a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2002, received a watercolour award at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition in 2005. In the same year, she was selected for the drawing competition at the John B. Aird Gallery. Much of her practice is based on process-oriented drawing. Her inspiration comes from the relationships of the urban to the natural, of chaos/order, stasis/fluidity, and growth/decay.
This exhibit at the Spence Gallery demonstrates how the signature of each artist combines to create inventive images that capture the imagination of the viewer. Z'otz*is a summary of sorts. Ilyana's delicate balance of the manmade and the natural, Nahum's quiet environmental angst and Erik's illogical and disconcerting narrative all merge harmoniously to create the Z'otz* compositions.
Please join us for the opening wine & cheese reception on Friday, October 12 starting at 6 p.m.
SPENCE GALLERY, located in Mirvish Village, is a one-of-a-kind gallery in Toronto. The gallery was founded to share culturally diverse artistic expressions. It provides a taste of contemporary art of Caribbean, Latin American and African artists and the Diaspora. It is dedicated to diversity and celebrates the cultural influences of the artists.
For further information and to set up interviews with the artists please contact Joan Spence, Director - 416 795 2787